


It's Never Easy [It's Like Trying To Spin The World The Other Way]

by icerose92



Series: It's Never Easy [It's Like Trying To Spin The World The Other Way] [1]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, F/F, M/M, RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-07-03
Packaged: 2017-12-16 14:59:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 69,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/863331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icerose92/pseuds/icerose92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Popular cheerleader, Naya Rivera, is failing dance, the one and only  class that will keep her from graduating. Enter Heather Morris, the nerdy girl that Naya tortures on a daily basis. With Heather's help, will Naya be able to find the strength to turn her entire world around?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a high school!AU. Originally on livejournal, but I'm going through and correcting the spelling and grammar errors and moving it over here.

Naya smacked her lips once, staring at her reflection in the mirror attached to the inside of her locker door. She pocketed her lip gloss and fluffed her hair. Behind her, Dianna giggled cruelly. Naya glanced at the other girl in the mirror before her eyes followed Dianna's around the rectangular door. She smirked. "Watch this," she threw to Dianna cockily.

Struggling under the weight of her school books, the blonde coming towards them wasn't very invested in her surroundings. Naya stuck her leg out, ankle caught ankle, and Naya's prey went sprawling.

Heather winced as her front hit the floor. She looked around at her scattered books, rolled to sit on her butt, and pushed her glasses up her nose. She didn't need to look to see who had tripped her, but the laughter that reached her ears from everyone around her didn't hurt nearly as bad as the vicious look that Naya was giving her.

For as long as she could remember, Naya had bullied her every single day at school. Heather couldn't remember a time when Naya wasn't popular and she wasn't just a victim. Her earliest memory of Naya was of the other girl pushing her off of the swing set when they were eight. Naya was the reason that Heather was afraid to come to school. Naya was the reason that Heather refused to attend after school functions.

Naya smirked down at her and slammed her locker door shut. She leaned down closer to Heather. "Watch where you're going, nerd," she whispered dangerously. Heather averted her teary gaze to the floor as Naya and Dianna stepped over her fallen form to meet up with Mark and Chord at the end of the hallway. The laughter died down, but no one moved to help Heather.

Heather blinked back her tears, wondering what she had done to Naya and when being smart had become a crime. She made to get up, but a hand thrust in front of her face made her stop. Heather's eyes followed the hand, up an arm, and were met with Lea's sympathetic eyes. Heather stared at her blankly before slowly taking Lea's tiny hand and allowing the smaller girl to help her to her feet. She rubbed her backside and glanced at her things, which were quickly being gathered by Chris. "You don't have to do this," Heather muttered, temporarily forgetting that Lea and Chris were also outcasts, so there was no reputation to protect.

Lea flashed a bright smile. "Oh, we know."

Chris rounded her and dropped her books into her waiting arms. "We too know the pain of relentless teasing at the hands of our 'betters'," he said, forming air quotes in the appropriate places. "But, chin up." He exhaled and plastered on a dazzling smile. "Only a few more months until graduation." He tightened his grip on the strap of his messenger bag. "Then you'll be at Harvard or Yale, far away from this rinky-dink town and them." He gestured to Mark, Naya, Dianna, and Chord behind her. When she glanced back, all that she could see was Mark and Naya all over each other. "Well, at best they'll be working at Taco Bell asking if you want Lava Sauce with your order."

Heather nodded and nudged her glasses up her nose again.

\-----

" _Watch_ the hands," Naya muttered, pulling Mark's hand from her backside. "And don't leave a fucking mark, Mark!" His lips stopped their assault on Naya's neck and he pulled away to look around.

"I thought this is what you wanted," he whispered hurriedly.

"I wanted a beard," Naya whispered back. " _Not_ a reputation as a whore." Mark reached for her again, but she swatted him away. "Or a handsy moron!"

"The public display kind of goes along with the bearding," Mark said.

Naya crossed her arms. "That doesn't mean that you can get a case of happy hands or mark me as yours."

Mark sighed irritably and pulled away from her. He adjusted his letterman jacket proudly and stalked away. Naya watched him disappear into the crowd before turning her gaze to Dianna and Chord. She opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it when she saw them sucking face. She hefted her fallen bag over her shoulder and headed for class (the terrified looks on Chris and Lea's faces as she passed wasn't nearly as gratifying as it should have been, but she figured they'd have to suffice).

When she and Mark had become each other's beards after years of being best friends there had been strict rules (no excessive touching, no marking), but recent speculation around school about Mark's sexuality had the quarterback scrambling to cover his oh-so-very-gay tracks. Sure, Naya had had her moments of panic, but damn at least she had stuck to their rules.

Naya prided herself in being popular. At the same time, she'd worked very hard to keep a more-or-less clean sexual bill. She wasn't a whore, and she made damn sure people knew that.

Naya walked briskly into her advanced placement U.S. History class. She stopped briefly at Heather's desk and, without looking at the other girl, knocked her notebook to the ground. She hooked her foot in the strap of Heather's bag and kicked, sending it sliding across the floor. "Oops," she said quietly and with a smirk.

Naya continued to her seat and pulled out her nail file, deliberately avoiding Heather's gaze as the blonde collected her bag. Heather was her biggest weakness, her reason for needing Mark.

She hated it. Naya had accepted her feelings for the nerdy girl years ago, but had only told Mark (and only because he had come to her in the middle of the night in tears over his feelings for a certain male diva), and had absolutely no intentions of acting on them. In a couple of months, after graduation, she'd never have to lay eyes on stupid Heather Morris again.

Naya looked over just in time to see a ball of paper smack against the side of Heather's head and made a mental note to reassert her turf to the laughing boy. Everyone knew that Heather was her's, knew that she was the only one allowed to torment the blonde, the only one allowed to cause that wounded look.

Naya sighed and rolled her eyes as the teacher entered and immediately started on Lincoln's assassination.

Only a few more months, she told herself. A few more months and she'd be free of Heather's spell.


	2. Chapter 2

Naya wished that, just once, her mother would allow her alarm clock to do its intended task. Waking up at 5:23 a.m. to her mother rampaging about oversleeping and extraneous calories was never Naya's ideal way to start the day, yet it always happened.

"Rise and shine, pumpkin," her mom called from her open bedroom door, sounding overly forced with the attempted sentiment. "Time for our early morning workout, chop chop!"

Naya pulled her head from under her pillow and groaned when she realized that it was still very much dark outside. "'Pumpkin'?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. "Mom, I know that your therapist told you to try harder and all that, but please just…stop."

Ms. Rivera, already dressed in her workout gear, pursed her lips and strode away. "Hurry up, Naya. We're already behind schedule."

Naya threw herself backwards and closed her eyes, praying for one more hour of sleep.

\-----

After her mother's intense workout (consisting of impossible ab crunchers, horrible push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, and various other torturous acts), Naya didn't have time to eat breakfast - not that her resident Nazi would allow her anything fulfilling - or take a shower before Mark was in her driveway laying on the horn.

"Well, it's safe to say that the horn blows," Naya said testily as she threw her things into the back of his jeep. "Does the driver?"

"Hey!" Mark said defensively. "Shut the hell up, Rivera!" He threw the jeep into drive and peeled out of the driveway, tires squealing. He didn't know why Naya was upset, but she didn't have to rag on his sexuality. "We're late, thanks. And for the record, you reek."

"You want to be on time for once?" Naya asked. "You should talk to Head Queen Rivera." Naya flipped the visor down forcefully to expose the mirror and pulled her eyeliner from her makeup bag. "I didn't have time to eat breakfast or shower this morning, thanks to her stupid workout schedule."

"Your mom is crazy, you realize that?" Mark fished in his pocket and produced a five dollar bill. "Breakfast on me," he said, offering the money to Naya. He really did feel sorry for his best friend. Really, all he had to deal with were his feelings for Chris. Naya had to deal with her feelings for Heather _and_ her mother. Mr. Rivera had left her when Naya was eleven, and Ms. Rivera, in a state of grief, had convinced herself that it was because she didn't have the body that she used to. Mychal and Nickayla had put up with their mom's rigorous workouts for four long years. Finally, they had both been driven to move in with their father. Mark couldn't understand why Naya hadn't done the same. If you asked him, Naya's mom was a psycho.

Naya scoffed as she applied a thin coat of lip gloss. "I am _not_ eating school food." She closed her make up bag and reached into the back to put it in her backpack. "And besides, I have my own money."

Mark scowled, pocketed his money, and grumbled, "You could at least say 'thank you'."

"Well, that would imply that I'm grateful," Naya snapped.

While Mark knew that her callousness should have hurt, years of being insulted by a hardened Naya Rivera had taught him to smirk and take it in stride. He knew that she cared; she just didn't know how to show it. "You're welcome."

Mark pulled into his usual parking space. By the time he had checked to ensure that his school-issued parking permit was hanging from the rearview mirror and shut off his jeep, Naya was already walking through the school doors.

Mark shook his head as he watched her cheerleading skirt sway (even it seemed angry).

He almost felt sorry for Heather.

\-----

Naya slowed her pace, timing her assault. This is what she did. When she was upset, she took it out on the one person she knew would take it. Long fingers worked the dial on a green locker. When the door was open, Naya strutted by and slammed it shut, narrowly missing Heather's fingers, simultaneously knocking the books from her hands.

Naya spared neither a glance nor a word as she walked away.

\-----

It wasn't that Naya hated dancing. On the contrary, the only thing that made Naya happy anymore was dancing. Naya just hated dance class.

Everything about her second period dance class made Naya cringe. She hated the girls, she hated the guys, and she hated being told how and when to dance. But Naya thought that mostly, she hated her dance teacher, Ms. Mays. 

Ms. Mays was entirely too quiet for Naya's liking. The way Naya saw it, teachers, from the get go, should establish a level of respect amongst their students, like Mr. O'Malley, Naya's trig teacher, or Coach Lynch, her cheerleading coach. Ms. Mays was the biggest pushover of them all, constantly exposing her jugular to the wild pack known as teenagers. Her students didn't respect her, and therefore most of them didn't listen to her.

With the loss of respect came the loss of willingness to dance for the woman with freakishly large eyes; Naya was just as content to stand and inspect her nails as everyone else twirled around her. She was broken out of her oblivious stupor only when Chris bumped into her, shoulders and hips colliding roughly and sending her to the floor in a crumpled heap. Naya brushed her hair out of her face and looked up, outraged (although the terrified look on Chris's face amused her greatly), and shrieked, "Watch where you're going _freak_!" In an instant, Ms. Mays was standing over her, looking almost as scared as Chris. "Slow your roll, Bambi," Naya said before the teacher could begin to stutter about treating others with respect. She lifted herself off of the floor and headed for the locker room; her ego grew as her classmates parted like the Red Sea for her.

"I want to see you in my office after class, Naya," Ms. Mays threw after her. Without missing a beat, Naya held her hand up and gave an agitated thumbs up.

She didn't need to respect a teacher to know that being called to a teacher's office was usually serious.

\-----

Naya gaped at her teacher. "Failing?" She asked incredulously. "How can I be failing? I've never failed a class in my life!" She crossed her arms.

Ms. Mays heaved a heavy sigh and closed her grade book. "Naya," she began. "Dance class is about more than dressing in your workout clothes. Your dance grade is a participation grade. You constantly get zeros because you don't participate."

"I thought all I had to do was show up," Naya said honestly.

Ms. Mays shook her head. Under her intense, wide-eyed gaze, Naya felt really, really dumb. "Um, no…Naya, you have to actually _do_ something to pass. And, I'm sorry to say this…you do realize that you need my class to graduate, right? It's the required art elective that you chose." Naya's eyes grew wide. "And you're aware that you must maintain a C minus average to be an athlete?"

"Am I going to be kicked off of the cheerleading squad?" Naya asked dejectedly. Ms. Mays nodded. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Naya knew that this all should have been common knowledge, a matter of pure common sense. She was sure that Ms. Mays had gone over the class requirements at the beginning of the semester, as had Coach Lynch. "Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?"

Ms. Mays smiled kindly at her, and Naya hated to admit it, but she was kind of beginning to like this teacher. "You're a very bright young lady." Naya rolled her eyes. "And I know that dance is not everyone's cup of tea, so I try my best to be lenient. You need to start participating during class. And, you'll need to get a B or higher on your final exam. But to remain a cheerleader, the most important thing is to start participating."

Naya suddenly found it hard to breathe. "How am I supposed to get a B on my final? Don't we have to make up a dance for that?" Ms. Mays nodded. Naya huffed. Her future was depending on the class that she despised the most. "No offense…but…I kind of hate your class."

Naya, expecting a scowl and a rant to match, was surprised when Ms. Mays' smile never faltered. If her comment had stung in any way, Ms. Mays wasn't showing it. "That's perfectly okay, Naya," she assured. "There's no rule saying that you have to like every class that you were ever enrolled in. But you know what? You _do_ have to pass them."

"But how?" Naya asked desperately. "I can dance, I can! I just can't dance when someone tells me to dance." She rested her head on her fist miserably.

"I've arranged for you to have a tutor," Ms. Mays said, rising from her chair. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

Naya sat back in the hard plastic chair as the door clicked shut. This sucked royally. Naya kind of loved cheerleading; it wasn't so much _cheerleading_ that Naya loved, but the reprieve that it gave her from her mother. Cheerleading got her out of the house everyday after school until 6:30, every Saturday from noon to five, and on game days Naya was happy to report that she didn't get home until 10:30, where she was promptly allowed to fall into bed, no questions asked.

And Naya had an entire rant, a novel-length essay really, about college and its many benefits, but the simplified version was that going to college would not only get her away from her mother, but also prove to her that she could be something. Something great.

Even if, god forbid, she became a teacher of some sort (Naya shuddered at the thought), at least she'd be making a difference.

The door opened behind her and she turned to see who Ms. Mays had rounded up to be her tutor. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in horror. "Oh, no," she mumbled to herself as she shot up.

"Naya," Ms. Mays said, tugging the petrified blonde further into the room. "I'm sure you and Heather know each other."

"We've met," Naya said angrily. Heather looked like she could cry at any minute; Naya almost felt bad. "Why her?" She found herself asking. She hadn't meant for the words to slip out, but now they were out there and Naya really, really wanted an answer.

Ms. Mays opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it tightly. Normally Naya would have enjoyed Bambi's speechlessness, but right now she needed Ms. Mays to say something, anything. "Well, um…Heather is one of my best students. She's taken every dance class this school has to offer and was even in Dance Company for a semester. I think it'd be pretty safe to say that she is the best dancer this school has ever had."

Heather turned an awful shade of red and clutched her books tighter. "Ms. Mays, if Naya's not comfortable…maybe you could get Harry-"

"No, no," Ms. Mays said hurriedly. She looked from Naya to Heather and back again. "Harry is wonderful, truly wonderful. But, please forgive me, while he's a wonderful dancer, I don't feel that he has what it would take to _teach_." Ms. Mays looked to Naya again. "His talents truly do pale in comparison to Heather's."

Naya cocked an eyebrow and eyed the blonde skeptically. There was no way that the Queen of the Nerd Herd could dance. It wasn't possible. In any universe.

"No, really, it's perfectly alright," Heather tried to assure Ms. Mays. She sounded hurt, almost like she thought Naya would actually be ok with this idea, which, by the way, was the stupidest idea _ever_. "If Naya wants someone else, it's fine."

Naya didn't like the way that Heather continued to say her name, accusatory with just a hint of pain. She narrowed her eyes and stared Heather down. For the first time, Heather met her gaze. "I have to graduate," she said simply, to no one in particular.

Heather opened her mouth to respond, but Ms. Mays beat her. "If you allow Heather to tutor you, you will do just that."

Naya set her jaw and looked at Heather again. Heather shrugged helplessly. "Fine," Naya breathed finally. She collected her bag and strode out the door, ignoring Ms. Mays praise and thanks.

Naya could not believe her incredibly crappy luck. Now, not only did her future depend on her least favorite class _ever_ , but it also rested in the hands of her least favorite _person_ ever. Naya hefted her bag further over her shoulder and turned to wait for Heather to catch up. Details needed to be discussed and ground rules needed to be set.

After a couple of minutes, Heather exited Ms. Mays' office, looked left then right, clearly torn between approaching Naya and running away, and ultimately decided to walk Naya's way slowly. Naya pushed off of the wall that she had lent against. "Here's the deal," she said harshly. Heather stood straight and stared at the floor. "I have cheerleading practice until six, so if you don't want to do this really late-"

Heather looked up and held up a hand. "Whatever time you're free is fine. My schedule is…pretty flexible." She scribbled her address on a piece of paper and hesitantly handed it to Naya, giving away the one place that she had been safe from Naya's bullying. Naya snatched the paper from Heather's grasp and crumpled it in her hand. Heather swallowed hard under Naya's hard gaze. "So…yeah, whenever…" She pulled her books in tighter and walked away, careful to avoid any limbs that Naya could have tripped her with.

When Heather had safely rounded the corner, Naya uncrumpled the piece of paper. She stared at Heather's neat handwriting and sighed.

\-----

Chris dropped his fork and Lea nearly choked on her mouthful of water when Cory told them the news at lunch. Cory had been in gym class and had overheard most of Naya, Heather, and the dance teacher's conversation on his way to the water fountain. He couldn't even begin to imagine how terrified Heather must be.

Lea spotted Heather working her way through the crowd and waved her over. "We just heard the news," she whispered dramatically once Heather was seated. "How awful!"

"Word gets around fast, I see." Heather shoved her glasses up her nose angrily and shrugged. When Ms. Mays had told her earlier in the day that she wanted Heather to be a tutor, her former teacher hadn't dropped names. Once called out of class (and after she'd left the giggling, whispering class behind), Heather had gotten majorly anxious. Hundreds of questions and silent pleas had gone through her mind, but the most prominent, the most important, had been _please, please, please don't be Naya Rivera_. Now…well, she was just kind of angry. Heather tucked her hair behind her ear. "Hopefully it won't be that bad…maybe time will fly?"

"Do you want us there?" Chris asked. He put an arm around her shoulders. "We could come and supervise or something."

Heather ignored Chris and instead stared at Cory, noticing him for the first time. "You're on the football team," she said quietly, eyeing his letterman jacket. "Why are you here?"

Cory glanced to the table where Chord and Mark were sitting with Naya, Dianna, and few other athletes. He wrung his hands and looked down at the table. "I'm not like them. They said I'm…awkward," he admitted with a shrug. "I'm not popular…just good with a football."

The answer seemed to be good enough for everyone. "No," Heather said, addressing Chris's question. "I actually think that that would make everything worse."

\-----

Naya sat on one of the benches in the vacant locker room. She was nearly half an hour early, but she needed time to herself (something that she very rarely had the pleasure of receiving) and this was the only place she could attain that right now.

Having seen Naya's obvious distress, Dianna had offered to tutor her in Heather's place; Naya might have taken her up on her offer had she not previously been an unfortunate witness to the disaster that is Dianna while dancing. Dianna tended to dance to her own rhythm, a messy, flailing whirlwind of limbs that made Naya terrified to go anywhere near her.

Naya sighed. The more she thought about her predicament, the more hopeless the whole thing seemed. Class was more about participation, though it seemed like the better a student performed, the more Ms. Mays favored them. She had stressed the importance of doing your best and giving the class 110%. The class may have been all participation, but the exam would be all about skill and who had the most of it, which Naya thought was unfair, but whatever.

And really how could Heather, the nerdiest nerd of all of the nerds teach her how to dance? Surely Heather couldn't dance. It just couldn't be possible. There wasn't a graceful bone in the blonde's body, and Naya knew that for a fact (you learn these things when you trip the same person multiple times everyday for years). If Heather had truly been blessed with a dancer's grace, she would have figured out how to right herself and avoid Naya's feet altogether.

"Rivera!" Startled, Naya jumped to her feet, surprised to find Coach Lynch staring at her. "You're here awfully early. I knew you loved the sport, but don’t you think this is overdoing it a bit?" Coach Lynch set her megaphone on the chair by the door, giving Naya her undivided attention.

Naya stared at her shoes. The athletes weren't supposed to arrive too much earlier than their respective coaches. The principal had this weird fear that they would get the itch to cause trouble (if asked, Naya was supposed to deny knowing anything about Mark and a can of spray paint). She hadn't done anything and hadn't planned on doing anything wrong, but Naya was still ashamed at being caught here. "It's just been…a very bad day," she admitted and the coach nodded solemnly. "I needed a bit of time to think."

Coach Lynch gestured for Naya to sit and then took a deep breath. Naya's stomach dropped. "I'm glad that I caught you alone," Coach said. "I heard about what's happening with your dance grade. It's really unfortunate, and I wish you the best of luck in raising it, but-"

"I'm off the squad, aren't I?" Naya asked dejectedly.

"As per Principal Morrison's request," Coach affirmed sadly. "If it were up to me, you would stay. I'm sorry Naya, but you know the district's athletic policy. Once you get that dance grade to a C, we'll discuss terms for letting you back on."

Naya bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. There was no use fighting the rule, no use in mentioning that she was the best this school had ever had, no use in mentioning that the squad would be completely lost without here, because Coach Lynch knew all of that. Her bad day had just turned into the worst day of her life (right behind the day that her dad had walked out, but whatever).

Naya rummaged sadly in her duffle bag for her after-shower clothes (a t-shirt, jeans, and converse) and Coach Lynch stepped outside to wait for Naya to bring her uniform.

Naya took her time changing, and right before leaving the locker room, she stopped at the door to take one last good look around. She'd spent every afternoon and every Saturday in this locker room for the past four years. It had felt more like her home than her house had, and to say that she was emotional was an understatement. 

Naya's undoing had been handing her uniform over, and she had to flee before Coach Lynch could witness her complete breakdown.

\-----

Naya leaned against a row of lockers and called Mark on her cell phone. The footballers still had a while before practice began, so Mark offered to drive her to Heather's. He may have been a major douche, but he was still her best friend and number one confident.

When she was finished talking to Mark, Naya called her mom to let her know where she would be until later. As predicted, her mom was only concerned about her lost spot on the squad, so Naya ended up hanging up on her. It was Friday, so she figured she'd hear about it all weekend anyways.

When Mark pulled his car around front, Naya climb in. Mark immediately reached across the console and pulled Naya into a long, tight, comforting hug. As much as she loved their banter, she loved moments like these the most. Mark was like her twin brother, and even though it killed her to admit it, she wouldn't trade him for anything.

The ten minute ride to Heather's was filled with Mark's mindless chatter, his desperate attempt to quell nervous jitters that he knew Naya had. Naya tried to smile and laugh in all of the right places, but she honestly couldn't bring herself to listen to him. Her mind was too preoccupied with dancing and wondering when Heather the nerd had developed a secret life.

For as long as she had known Heather, Naya had teased her, and Heather had always been the perfect victim: nerdy, friendless, and unwilling to stand up for herself. And today it had been revealed that Heather could _dance_? Naya was skeptical.

"It is wacko," Mark said, and Naya marveled at how well he could read her. "Heather Morris, straight A's, perfect attendance, extra quiet, no friends…dancer? Something smells fishy to me."

"What do you mean?" Naya intoned curiously, tilting her head.

"Well," Mark began. "Morris is that dance teacher's favorite student, right? And you try your best to make the nerd miserable. What if they're teaming up to get you back for over a decade of harassment?"

Naya's stomach twisted. There was no way that Bambi and the ultra geek would act against her. She knew that Heather was smarter than that. "No," she said, trying to assure herself more than Mark. "No, they wouldn’t dare." She wasn't sure whether Mark was saying these things just to see her squirm or if he was genuinely concerned that his suspicions would come true; either way, he had caught her attention. "Right? I mean…of course she wouldn't. Right?"

Mark shrugged as he parked the car. Naya looked up at Heather's house, her jaw dropping instantly. "It's the quiet ones that you have to look out for," Mark said, but Naya barely heard him as she thanked him for the ride and clambered out of the car, dragging her bags with her.

An established fact about Heather, the one thing that Naya knew for certain about her, was that the girl was not poor. Naya had never seen Heather's home, but she had heard through the grapevine that Heather's mom was some sort of surgeon, and there was speculation that her dad was an astronaut or some shit like that.

Either way, Heather's family _definitely_ was not hurting.

Naya shook her head as Mark pulled away. She strutted up the walk slowly, displaying more confidence than she felt, and admired the house in front of her. It was large. An immensely large, brick, plantation style house. Naya looked at the paper in her hand to double check the address. Her heart thumped with the realization that it was correct. This made two things that Naya hadn't previously known about Heather, and it made Naya uneasy. What else was there?

Naya stepped up and hesitantly rang the doorbell. The lock jiggled and Naya took one last shuddering breath. A blonde woman in a tight fitting dress appeared and Naya's first that was that this woman - who absolutely could not have been Heather Morris' mother - was _gorgeous_. Her hair fell in bright blonde ringlets around her face and when she smiled Naya was nearly blinded by the sheer brightness of her teeth. Thankfully, Naya caught herself before she began to salivate. "Um…hi." She waved awkwardly.

The woman's smile grew and she reached forward to grasp Naya's hand firmly. "You must be Naya!" She gushed, pulling Naya inside and shutting the door. "I'm Heather's mom, Liz." She began to walk and gestured for Naya to follow her. "I'm sorry the house is such a mess, but I just got home from work and, if the time that Heather told me is correct, you're a bit early."

Naya gaped at everything and mumbled an apology. The house was spacious, clean (despite Liz's insistence otherwise), and extremely quiet. There were beautiful paintings and statues and intricately woven rugs. When Naya had begrudgingly agreed to tutoring, she had had no idea that a fucking _mansion_ awaited her (her house wasn't exactly small, but it was nowhere near this size).

Heather's mother, Liz, directed her to the kitchen, a stark white room with many wonderful smells. "You can drop your bags over there," Liz said, pointing to a corner out of the way. "Wait in here and I'll go get Heather."

Naya did everything that she told and ventured to the stove. She wasn’t sure what was cooking and she knew that it would be out of place for her to just open the stove or take the lids off of pots, so she merely stood and stared. It had been years since she'd had a home cooked meal, and it had been even longer that she had smelled anything so _wonderful_ (it didn't really help that she hadn't had anything to eat all day).

Naya was leaning over to get a better smell when she heard Heather clear her throat behind her. Naya plastered on a cocky smirk and turned to face the blonde. When she was sure that Liz was nowhere within earshot, Naya asked, "'Sup, nerd?"

Heather crossed her arms and glanced at her bare feet, looking wounded. "You're early."

"Obviously," Naya deadpanned. "Your mom's cool. It's hard to believe that you fell out of that vagina." She watched as Heather tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. This was Heather. Nerdy, vulnerable Heather, but something was missing, and there was another difference. These changes, Naya knew, were significant. Finally placing her finger on something, Naya asked, "Where the fuck are your nerd-specs?" Heather touched her face as if she'd just realized that her glasses were missing. It was kind of cute, Naya realized with horror. _Heather_ was kind of cute. "Lose them among all of your other nerd things?"

Heather scowled sadly, and Naya wondered if Heather had noticed that her insult was lacking. "We're eating dinner first," she said quietly. "Then we'll head down and start dancing."

Naya followed Heather when she headed for the stairs. "Seriously, though," she called. "Where are your glasses? I was under the impression that you couldn't see without them." Naya could remember, very vividly, a time in junior high when she'd shoved Heather down during PE. Heather's glasses had flown off of her face and she literally had not been able to see her hands in front of her face.

Heather started up the stairs. Naya caught herself watching Heather's backside and had to resist the urge to trip Heather just to avert her mind. "I'm wearing contacts."

"Why not wear those at school?" Naya questioned. "You'll be happy to hear that they lessen the nerd factor considerably."

"They're expensive. More expensive than my glasses," Heather explained timidly as they reached the second floor. "And I don't want to lose them by… _accidentally_ falling at school."

Naya smirked; she knew what Heather was insinuating. She'd made it a goal to trip or knock Heather down at least once a day. So far, she was sticking to that pretty well, and from her personal experience, contacts fell out pretty easily. "No," she agreed mockingly. "We wouldn't want that." Heather stared at her for a minute before turning and continuing to walk down the long hallway. "So I'm a bitch to you." Heather stopped but didn't turn around. "But you're going to feed me dinner?"

Heather turned and Naya made extra sure to sneer evilly. " _I'm_ not feeding you," Heather said, laying a shaking hand on her chest. "My _mom_ is feeding you. She has this weird thing where she just _has_ to be nice to everyone no matter how horrible they are. She's an equal opportunist."

They stared at each other. Naya felt like she was in an old western stand off. Her eyes took in Heather, finally piecing together what the huge difference in the girl. She had changed from her slightly baggy jeans and hoodie to basketball shorts and a clingy t-shirt, her hair was up in a messy ponytail instead of covering her face, and she was barefoot. If she weren't already madly in love with the geek, Naya knew that this look would definitely do it. She narrowed her eyes, mainly at her own thoughts, and Heather lowered her eyes and walked away.

Naya watched her turn into a room and shut the door forcefully. She closed her eyes. Only a few more months, she reminded herself again.


	3. Chapter 3

After school drama club meetings were the best part of Lea Michele's day. It was the only time that she felt wanted at school and she cherished every single minute of it. Of course, it also helped that Chris, her best friend, was also in the club.

After school drama club meetings were safe. Lea and Chris didn't have to worry about the threat of passing bullies, waiting with insults on the tips of their tongues (even though Lea and Chris weren't treated as badly as Heather, they had the entirety of the school to worry about. Heather was teased viciously, but only by Naya). The football players and cheerleaders were out on their respective fields practicing for the next days big game against the cross county rivals. During drama club, Lea could finally allow herself to be open, have fun, and _smile_.

It was quarter after six when their instructor finally allowed them all to go home. Lea sat cross legged backstage and waited for everyone to clear out. She liked staying after, just a little bit longer than necessary, to savor the feeling. Lea enjoyed having backstage to herself. It was the only time of the day that she got to be alone (the hustle and bustle of her house was a bit overwhelming sometimes).

Lea packed her things slowly, making sure that her scripts were tucked safely between her books, before swinging her messenger bag over her shoulder. She pushed through the aluminum double doors and trekked the dim hallway that ran behind the dressing rooms.

She had been debating since lunch about whether or not to stop by Heather's on her way home to make sure that Naya hadn't, like, murdered her or something. In the end, she decided that she'd go home and call Heather first; if Heather needed her, she'd say so.

"Hey, dwarf." An arm snaked around her shoulders and Lea tried to come to a stop. Wherever _that_ voice was, humiliation and mental anguish usually followed.

"H-hi, Dianna," Lea stuttered nervously, trying once again to halt her now forced steps. "What do you want?" Lea hoped that she didn't sound rude (or scared), but this was strange, especially since Dianna refused to look at her, refused to stare her down, and was _touching_ her. Lea looked around, searching for Chord (he and Dianna were usually attached at the hip), but couldn't find him anywhere.

Dianna pulled her impossibly closer and squeezed her shoulder, making Lea wince. "I just wanted to talk," Dianna said, her voice oozing sickly sweetness. She turned her hard gaze onto Lea and Lea gulped. "Hey, are you aware that Naya was kicked off of the cheerleading squad?"

Lea, if possible, sunk further into herself as Dianna opened the double doors leading to the back parking lot forcefully. "No," Lea squeaked. The parking lot, to her horror, was vacant and the only source of light came from a lone streetlamp near the dumpsters. "I had no idea."

"So you haven't talked to the nerd recently," Dianna observed, narrowing her eyes. She pulled Lea to a halt half way between the auditorium building and Lea's car, shrouded in darkness. She kept a firm grip on Lea's wrist to keep her from running.

"No," Lea said, shaking her head vigorously. She could hear the football players on the field, squeezing in that last, long practice. She wanted to scream, but she doubted that they'd care enough to come to her rescue. "I haven't talked to _Heather_ since lunch."

Dianna sneered. "Well, because of this stupid dance class, Naya was kicked off of the cheerleading squad. And she might not graduate."

Now that her eyes were adjusted to the darkness, Lea could see the outline of Dianna's features clearly. "That's…" Lea trailed off, searching for the right word, the word that would make Dianna _not_ hit her. She wasn't exactly sure what Dianna wanted her to do about all of this. Lea Michele could do a lot of things, but one of those many things was not dancing. Even if she wanted to help, Lea knew that there was really no way that she could.

Dianna jerked her wrist hard, bringing their bodies flush together, their noses bumping each other. Lea gulped and glanced between their bodies. Dianna's heaving breasts pressed against her own. Her eyes met Dianna's once again and she wondered, once again, why the cheerleader hated her so much. Lea had barely said two words to Dianna in the past three years.

"I…" Lea gulped before starting again. "I don't know what this has to do with me. There's nothing I can do."

Dianna smirked, stared at Lea's lips, and licked her own. She leaned closer, their cheeks barely brushing, so that she could whisper lowly in Lea's ear. "You can pass a message to Heather."

Lea shivered and closed her eyes. She'd never admit it, mainly because Dianna was such a bitch now, but there had been a time when Lea had dreamt of marrying Dianna. There had been a time when Lea could walk the halls of the school and worry about everyone _but_ Dianna tormenting her. There had been a time, before Dianna had become head cheerleader of the varsity team, before she had been asked out by Chord Overstreet, the hotshot linebacker. Dianna had been sweet and kind and caring. The Dianna Agron sneering down at her now was not the same Dianna Agron who had picked her up off of the floor at the beginning of freshman year after a burly senior had pushed her down. Then, Dianna had gathered Lea's things and walked her to the nurse's office. Lea missed that Dianna, the Dianna that she could exchange shy glances with in class, the Dianna that she fell in love with.

"Tell your girl," Dianna continued. "That if she doesn't get Naya back on the squad, she'll be sorry. And if Naya doesn't graduate…well, it'd be best if Heather skipped town."

Lea pulled away as far as Dianna's grip would allow her and stared at Dianna in horror. "Are you…are you threatening Heather's _life_?" She asked.

Dianna released her grip on Lea’s wrist and smirked. “Just pass it on.”

Dianna began to walk away. Lea swallowed harshly, quickly losing sight of the cheerleader in the darkness. “Dianna?” She called, but Dianna continued to walk.

\-----

With no one upstairs to harass or talk to, Naya ventured back to the kitchen where Liz was now standing at the stove. “I hope you brought your appetite,” Liz gushed. She didn’t bother to turn around, so Naya helped herself to a seat at the kitchen table.

“How’d you do that?”

Liz turned to face Naya. “Do what?” She leaned against the stove, carefully avoiding the hot pots and giving Naya her undivided attention. Naya opened her mouth to speak, but was immediately thrown off by the intensity of the Liz’s gaze. Naya had never had someone listen to her with such eagerness. Half of the time, Naya wasn’t sure that her mother actually heard her and her friends…well, Chord and Dianna were too wrapped up in each other to notice anything else. Mark listened to her, but not like this. “Um…how did you know that it was me? You didn’t look…I could have easily been Heather.”

Liz smiled. “Heather’s a dancer. She doesn’t make a sound when she walks. When she was younger, she used to run off, scaring me half to death. I had to either learn to listen hard enough to hear her steps or lose my child. You’re not a heavy walker either,” Liz said. “But you weren’t light enough to be Heather.”

Naya smirked at the image of a little blonde girl with oversized glasses and hair in pigtails sprinting to the book section of the store. “So,” Naya said, wanting to change the subject. “What’s for dinner?”

Liz looked over her shoulder and back again, her hair whipping around her shoulders, and clapped her hands once. “It’s a surprise!” She busied herself again and Naya watched her in awe. There was absolutely no way that Heather was related to this woman. Liz’s simple movements possessed an elegant grace that Heather could only hope and pray to have. Liz was beautiful and vocal and friendly and all of those things that Heather was not. Naya could only come up with two options; Heather had either inherited bad genes from her father, or she was adopted.

Naya thought adoption seemed more plausible, though.

But there was something in the way that Liz looked at her, her eyes twinkling, that made Naya nervous. Naya knew that she wasn’t being paranoid when she saw the accusations that lay behind Liz’s happy demeanor. Naya couldn’t help but wonder how much Heather had told her, how many days that Heather had confided in Liz. Naya wondered how many times Heather had dropped her name into the conversation, how many times she was just very vague, generic, with her description of her day. Naya wondered if, by now, Liz was able to fit all of the pieces together without Heather even having to say a word. Whatever was happening inside of Liz’s head, in her eyes, Naya didn’t think she liked it.

“I know you don’t want to sit and watch these pots boil,” Liz said. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen and motioned for Naya to join her. She pointed across the foyer into a room just beyond the stairs. “The sitting room is in there. Dinner will be another hour, so help yourself to anything in there.”

When Naya didn’t budge, Liz gave a small push to set her in motion. Naya walked slowly, glancing up the stairs for any sign of Heather.

Naya stood in the doorway, taking the room in. The room wasn’t large, but it did have a large plasma TV on one wall, and connected to it were several video game systems (and Naya made quick note of the _Dance Dance Revolution_ mat in the middle of the floor). A couch and two Lazyboys framed the room, taking up most of the floor space, and on the far wall, a bookcase was over flowing with DVDs and video games. Naya’s jaw dropped. She had expected a library with, like, books. Who the fuck did Heather think she was leading this double life?

\-----

By the time that Heather came downstairs, Naya had helped Liz set the table (for only three people, which Naya thought was odd. Heather’s dad being an astronaut seemed very much real right now) and had joined Liz at the table in front of plates of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and assorted vegetables. To someone who was used to a home cooked meal, it wouldn’t look like much, but Naya thought it was as close to heaven as she’d ever get. “Heather will be down soon,” Liz had said. “She knows what time dinner is.”

Naya, though extremely hungry, stared skeptically at her plate. It all looked and smelled so good, but the work she’d have to do to burn it all off…Naya wanted to cringe. No way could her mom find out about this.

Heather sat heavily in the chair in front of Naya. She eyed Naya, who had begun to eat, as she picked up her fork. “What’s wrong, Heather?” Liz asked as she watched Heather pushed her food around on her plate. She placed the back of her hand on Heather’s forehead, but Heather pulled away.

“Mom, I’m not sick,” she said, finally shoving some potatoes into her mouth. “I’m not that hungry. I had a big lunch.”

Naya narrowed her eyes. Heather hadn’t eaten anything at lunch, so she knew that the blonde had to be hungry. She decided to keep her mouth shut about it, and instead said, “You have a beautiful home, Liz.”

Liz waved a hand dismissively. “It’s a bit extravagant for my tastes, but it’s been in the family for centuries, so I couldn’t just sell it. We just recently renovated. Grandma won’t like it, though, will she Heather?” One corner of Heather’s lips lifted in an attempted smile.

“I’d kill to have a house this large,” Naya admitted. That would leave her more room to hide from her mom. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what do you do?”

“No, dear, I don’t mind at all.” Liz smiled warmly at her. “I’m a neurosurgeon.” Naya’s jaw dropped. That explained Heather’s brainiac ways. Liz turned to Heather. “I have another weird schedule this weekend. I’ll be gone until Tuesday afternoon. I made enough dinner for you to have leftovers tomorrow and the fridge and pantry are both stocked. Can you get a ride to school from Lea those two mornings?” Heather nodded and Liz looked at her watch. "I actually have to leave in about thirty minutes. You sure you'll be ok?" Her eyes darted so quickly that Naya almost didn't see the implied message.

Heather offered a small smile. "I always am, mom."

"So, um," Naya interrupted them. She looked around the kitchen, noting that there had been two chairs at the table. For Naya to be able to sit, Liz had had to bring in an extra chair. It had peaked Naya's curiosity. "Where's your dad?"

Liz and Heather grew deathly silent. Liz looked at Naya, then to Heather. "Heather-"

Heather dropped her fork into her plate, producing an awful clatter. She then jumped from the table and sped towards the stairs. Liz rubbed her forehead.

Naya's forehead creased. "What did I say?" Normally Heather running out of the room in tears would have sent tingles of joy down her spine, but this time something was wrong, so wrong that even Naya could feel it.

Liz smiled again, but it was watery. "I probably should have told you," she said. "Heather's father passed away four years ago." Naya's heart dropped. "Heather was very close with her father."

"Oh my god," Naya said. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

Liz waved her hand. "I know you didn't, sweetheart. But you might want to go talk to Heather. She might think you had an ulterior motive." The twinkle was back again, and Naya nodded if only to get out of the woman's gaze.

As soon as Liz instructed Naya on how to get to Heather's room, Naya left the kitchen, hurrying as fast as she could. She may like to make Heather miserable, but Naya knew what it was like to lose a father, and _no one_ deserved to go through that.

Counting to the third door on the right, Naya stared at it blankly. She took a deep breath and knocked twice before letting herself in. Heather was sitting cross legged on her bed, staring at her hands. "Hey," Naya breathed, trying to wipe her voice clean of the snideness that Heather's presence usually brought out.

Heather looked up at her. A tear rolled down her face and she quickly wiped it away, looking more scared than sad in this moment. "What do you want?" She asked quietly. She made to stand, but Naya closed the door and stepped further into the room, making Heather freeze.

Naya fidgeted. She wasn't used to apologizing. She never apologized to anyone for anything, "I just…"She started. "I just-"

"If you came to make me more miserable," Heather said sadly. "You can save it. You've done your job for the day."

The statement angered Naya, but she wasn't sure whether it was because Heather thought that that was all Naya was capable of or because she _had_ made Heather miserable. "I came to apologize," Naya said forcefully. "I had no idea. I know what it's like to lose a parent, okay? My dad left us when I was eleven. I know it's not the same, but it's still painful and stuff. I know I live to torture you or whatever, but no one deserves to be reminded of that. So I'm sorry and stuff."

Though fully shocked, Heather seemed wholly unimpressed with Naya's impromptu speech. Heather nodded curtly, stood from the bed, and moved to gather a few scattered papers from the desk by the wall. Naya kept her eyes firmly on Heather, never looking at the pictures on the shelves, never eyeing the rack of CDs, never paying attention to the multitude of books on the bookcase. Heather had sprung many surprises on her today, and Naya didn't want to know anything else about the girl. What if they liked the same books or the same music? What if the pictures depicted Heather at wild frat house parties that a cousin had snuck her into? Naya absolutely hated when her world tipped on its axis, and she knows that all of that would turn it a full 180.

"Let's just head down and get this over with," Heather said. She clutched the stack of papers to her chest and hung her head, flinching as she passed Naya to open the door. As they descended the stairs, Heather said, "Just let me say goodbye to mom first."

Naya peered around Heather's retreating form into the kitchen where Liz was finishing stuffing things into an overnight bag. The mother-daughter duo exchanged words (well, it was mostly Liz speaking and Heather nodding), then they hugged, Liz waved farewell to Naya, and then the woman was heading for the garage.

Naya's stomach began to flutter. She'd never been alone with Heather. And even though she'd thought about it, she never thought she'd actually allow it to happen. She watched as Heather took a deep breath and stared after her mom. Naya found herself wondering what Heather was thinking, what she was feeling. If she were anyone else, she knew that she might feel sorry for the blonde. Then again, if she were anyone else, Heather might not be miserable.

Naya was busy blaming thoughts about her father leaving and her mother being bat-shit-crazy for her sudden sappiness when Heather passed her. "Basement's this way."

Naya crossed her arms and stayed rooted on the spot. "Basement?" She asked skeptically. Heather stopped at a door down the hall and turned to regard Naya. "Nu-uh."

Heather shrugged and opened the door. "Suit yourself," she said before disappearing. Then she called, "It's your grade and your future."

Naya threw her head back and groaned in frustration. Basements were dirty, nasty, and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. Plus, if Heather murdered her and stuffed her body in the walls, no one would know. There would be no justice for Naya Rivera.

Not that her _mother_ would miss her or anything.

Naya huffed and tangled her fingers in her hair. She begrudgingly followed Heather through the door. The blonde was nowhere in sight now, but Naya wound down the spiral staircase anyway. The sight awaiting her was right up there with the most shocking surprises of the day.

Where a basement should have been, a dance studio took up the entire level of the house. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors lined the walls, stretching all around the room. Naya gaped at Heather's back as she stooped to fiddle with the stereo in the corner. "Wow," she said simply.

"Cool, huh?" Heather asked. She pulled an iPod from the stereo stand and placed it in the dock station. Then, she took the stack of papers in her hands again.

"What is all of this?"

Heather's gaze, one cocked eyebrow, made Naya feel stupid. "It's a dance studio," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, yeah, duh," Naya snapped and Heather flinched. "What I meant was why is there a dance studio under your house?"

Heather became solemn again. "My dad converted our basement into this for me. It was my fourteenth birthday present, a year long project that he somehow managed to keep a secret. Right before…" She trailed off and swallowed hard. The loss of her father, Naya realized, probably attributed to why Heather was the way she was. Like Naya, Heather didn't have a father to watch sports with or that would tell her that she was beautiful or special everyday. Unlike Naya, though, Heather had merely folded in on herself, immersing herself further into the books that she loved so much.

Naya nodded. She understood. "You know," Naya said, doing the only thing that she could think of to get Heather to stop sniffling like that. "Normal people don't have dance studios under their homes."

Though Heather didn't smile, Naya could tell that her crude attempt at humor was working. "Aren't you the one that tells me that I'm not normal on a daily basis?"

Naya smirked wickedly and she could tell that it took everything in Heather to not run from the room. "Touché."

"Are you ready to do this?" Heather asked impatiently.

"Not really," Naya answered honestly. "But I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

The question was anything but rhetorical. Naya actually wanted Heather to offer her an alternative. At this point, Naya thought that she'd probably do anything. Instead, Heather shrugged one shoulder and help up the papers for Naya to see.

"Ms. Mays jotted some notes for us," she said, handing the sheets to Naya. "She suggests that we start slow, just to get your feet warmed up."

Dread pooled in Naya's stomach as she deftly flipped through the pages. "And by slow…"

Heather hesitated, her fingers curling around each other nervously. "Slow dance," she confirmed quietly.

"Fuck that," Naya said simply, staring at Heather apprehensively.

Heather scratched at her eyebrow, trying to hide how the comment stung. "Look," she whispered. "I don't like this any more than you do. We can jump right into the fast paced stuff that she wanted, but I can already guarantee that your footwork is going to suck which, by default, makes you suck."

Naya huffed and shoved Ms. Mays' notes back into Heather hands. "Fine," she grumbled. Heather turned and headed back to the stereo, set the papers down, and turned on a slow song. Heather stepped back up to Naya. They stood, inches apart, and Naya knew that Heather was waiting for her to feel comfortable enough with this. Finally Naya stepped forward until there was no personal space left between them.

Heather held up her hand, turned sideways and cupped slightly, and said, "Whenever you're ready."

Naya nodded (for her personal morale more than anything else) and slid her hand into Heather's. Heather tugged her closer so that they were toe-to-toe and suddenly Naya's senses were filled, intoxicating her with all things _Heather_. She could hear Heather breathing, feel her soft, yet intriguingly callused hands, and see her amazingly blue eyes. But the most overwhelming, the thing that made her breath catch in her throat, was Heather's _smell_. Heather must have noticed her falter because she was moving back and asking, "Hey, you okay?"

Naya raised her head (when the fuck did Morris get so damn tall?), her eyes meeting Heather's intense blue ones. "Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah, it's just…you smell really good."

Heather narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but Naya could see a little glimmer of happiness in their depths. "Um…thank you?"

Naya nodded faintly and stepped back to Heather. Their hands resumed their positions, high and to Naya's left. "I…I don't know…"

Heather took Naya's right wrist and guided her hand to rest on her collarbone, and then she dropped her own hand to Naya's hip. "I know," she said. "I'll lead. All you have to do is follow me."

Naya drew her eyebrows together. "Is it really that simple?"

Heather nodded eagerly and Naya could see the love, the passion that Heather really did have for dancing. "I'm going to step forward with my right foot," she explained further. "And you're going to step back with your left foot. And we alternate."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

By the time Naya was ready, the song was repeating. Heather waited, counted to three, and then began, stepping forward with her right foot, driving Naya to step back with her left. When Heather was certain that Naya had the back, forth, and alternating motion down, she began to take longer strides, picking up pace as they twirled. Naya marveled at how solid Heather was, how muscular her arms were, how lean her body was, and how strong her slender hands were. Naya, just by looking at Heather at school, couldn't have guessed that Heather's body was actually drool-worthy.

"Ready for the big finish?" Heather asked breathlessly. She didn't give Naya time to answer (Naya suspected that her question was less of a question and more of a warning). She pushed Naya away from her, twirled her twice by the hand, then she lead Naya into a dip, her hand sliding up Naya's back to cup the back of her head for support. The song started again and Heather pulled Naya up.

"Wow," Naya breathed as she tried to catch her breath.

"Good 'wow'?" Heather asked, wind milling her arms a few times. "Bad 'wow'?"

"Shocked 'wow'," Naya supplied.

"Don't be," Heather said, moving to turn the music off. "You're a cheerleader. A lot of cheerleaders can dance, whether they know it or not." Naya opened her mouth to tell Heather that she wasn't surprised that she could dance, rather surprised that _Heather_ could, but before she could get the words out, Heather was asking her if she wanted to step it up a notch. She nodded, eager to see how good Heather _really_ was. Heather moved to pull on a clean pair of socks to protect her feet. "Well, take your shoes off."

\-----

It was almost eight o'clock when Naya finally had to tell Heather that she could go no more. She was exhausted and sore. As Heather raided the refrigerator for the leftovers from dinner, Naya stepped onto the front stoop. Naya pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed Mark's number.

" _Hello_?"

"Why are you whispering?" Naya pressed the phone closer to her ear so that she could hear him.

" _I'm grounded_."

"What?" Naya asked, rubbing her forehead. When Mark was grounded, his parents always revoked his phone and car privileges. So now he couldn't pick her up tonight. "Why?"

" _It's a long story_ ," Mark said. " _Basically mom found Playboys in my room. Then dad found out that the Playboys were his, 'cause, you know, I've been stealing them and stuff. That led to mom finding out that dad had subscribed to Playboy behind her back. So, mom grounded me for having them and for stealing them and dad grounded me for getting him in trouble_."

"Are you kidding me? You don't even like pussy!"

" _Hey, shut the fuck up, Rivera_!"

"So there goes you picking me up tonight, huh?"

" _Afraid so_."

Then, he hung up on her (normally, Naya would have been angry, but she knew all too well the stress of sneaking on the phone). She sighed. Her only other option was her mom (she wouldn't even try Dianna; that girl was so far up Chord's ass, Naya was surprised that she could even breathe) and Naya knew that that wouldn't end like she wanted it to.

Naya dialed her home number, heard the first tones of the answering machine, and hung up. Calling her mother's cell phone yielded the same results, only getting Naya a drunken voice message.

Naya sighed and pocketed her phone.

\-----

Heather ran a hand through her sweat soaked hair. Today had not been as terrible as she she'd initially imagined that it would be, but certain moments had been pretty damn bad. Like being reminded of her father. But witnessing Naya Rivera actually _apologizing_ to her…well, Heather figured the pain was worth it. Naya apologizing to someone, especially Heather, was rarer than a UFO sighting.

Naya had stepped out onto the front porch and Heather was just pulling a fork from a nearby drawer when the phone on the wall rang. Heather shoved a forkful of warmed over meatloaf into her mouth and glanced at the caller id. She smiled when she saw that it was Lea.

She and Lea were far from best friends (Lea and Chris were a little too inseparable), but they shared a mutual respect for each other and had bonded fairly well over the years (Heather had had to learn to ignore Lea's bossy attitude and occasional know-it-all mannerisms).

Heather picked up the phone. "Hey, Lea."

" _Where's Naya_?" Lea asked immediately.

Heather leaned back to peer into the foyer and said, "She's outside. Calling someone to pick her up, I think."

" _So you're okay_?" Lea asked. " _You know what, never mind, you're obviously fine. Listen to me very closely. You have to get her grade up. She_ has _to get back on the cheerleading squad and she_ has _to graduate_."

Heather laughed, because, seriously? Old news. "Yes, I know this. That is my job as her tutor."

" _No, you don't get it_ ," Lea snapped. " _It is of the utmost importance that you tutor Naya to the best of your ability and get her grade up_."

Heather dropped her fork onto her plate and leaned onto her elbows. As hungry as she was, Lea sounded really upset. "Lea, talk to me. What's going on?"

There was shifting on the other end of the line before Lea spoke again. " _Okay, I've been worrying over this for, like, two hours trying to decide whether to tell you or not, because, hello, this came from Dianna Agron which means that it's probably an empty threat, but_ -"

"Whoa, whoa," Heather cut in. "Slow down, Lea. Breathe. Threat? What are you talking about? Did Dianna threaten you?"

" _Dianna caught me after drama club. She said that you'd be sorry if you didn't get Naya's grade up so she could get back on the squad. And she said that if Naya doesn't graduate…Heather, she practically threatened your life_."

Heather remained quiet. In all of the years that she had been in school she'd been tormented, teased verbally, pushed, hit, and tripped on a daily basis (even though she knew that, for whatever reason, Naya was the only one that pushed and tripped her), but never had her life been threatened. For as long as she could remember, she'd been afraid to wake up in the mornings, afraid to go to school, but in all of those years, she had known that she was never in any _real_ danger.

"Lea, are you sure-"

" _Dianna said_ ," Lea began angrily. " _And I quote, 'if Naya doesn't graduate, well, it'd be best if Heather skipped town'_."

"Oh," Heather said dumbly. "Wow."

" _Wow? Wow?! That's all you can say_?"

"Well, I mean…there's really nothing that I can do," Heather said helplessly, shrugging even though she knew that Lea couldn't see her.

" _Report them_!" Lea screeched.

"Technically we have no proof. It's your word against Dianna's."

" _I'm just worried about you, Heather. I mean…Naya's her best friend, so, you know, she has to be in on it_."

"Then why wouldn't Naya threaten me herself?" Heather asked. She placed her leftovers back in the refrigerator, her appetite now out the window. "I mean, why go through two different people when I've been here with her, alone, for four hours?"

Lea gasped. " _You've been alone for four hours with that psycho_?!"

Heather sighed. "Drama club is going to your head. I'm fine. I'll watch my back, okay? Thank you for telling me."

" _Just be careful, Morris_."

\-----

Naya was busy running scenarios through her mind as she opened the front door and stepped back into the warm house. It would hurt her pride way too much to ask if she could stay the night, but she supposed asking Heather to drive her home wouldn't be _that_ bad.

"Who was that?" Naya asked nosily, making Heather jump.

Heather tore her hand from the phone that she had just placed back in the cradle. "No one," she said quickly. "Just Lea."

Naya snorted. "You nerds just flock together, huh?"

Heather ignored her. "When is your mom picking you up?"

Naya sat heavily at the table. "Here's the thing," she said. "Mark is uber-grounded and my mom is…busy. Is there any way that you could maybe drive me home?"

Heather rubbed the back of her neck. "No," she said. "We only have one car, and mom had to take it to get to work."

Naya stood up. "Looks like I'll be walking home tonight," she said, moving to gather her things. It wasn't that she lived very far away, it was just that the night was cold and there were absolutely zero streetlights. "Thanks for the help tonight. When do we have to do this again?"

Naya looked up, expecting a quick answer. She could see the gears turning in Heather's head, almost like when Mr. O'Malley would put a complicated trigonometry problem on the board. "Look," Heather said finally, her eyes darting nervously. "It's cold and it's dark. I know this is weird or whatever, but why don't you stay here tonight? I'll sleep on the couch and you can take my bed."

Naya's eyes narrowed. "What's the catch?"

Heather shook her head. "No catch," she said. "And, if you want, we can have another session tomorrow."

Naya mentally weighed her options. On one hand, she could walk home, and (on the off chance that she actually arrived safely) wait until her mom decided to finished riding Julio or Ed or Marcus or whoever the hell the guy of the weekend was. On the other hand, she could sleep over with the one person that could ruin her future. "No catch?" Naya asked. "Like, none? At all?"

"Well," Heather mumbled. "I mean, you could always walk home. It was just a suggestion."

Naya relented. "Fine." She stood from her stooped position and glanced into the sitting room. "But I'm taking the couch. I don't want your bed."

Heather frowned. "You can't sleep on the couch," she argued. "That's where my mom sleeps. I'd feel weird letting you have her bed."

"Then why can't I sleep in the master bedroom?"

"It's empty," Heather said. "Mom had everything moved out after…just take my bed."

Naya threw her hands up in frustration. "Okay, I'm not kicking you out of your bed. I'll sleep on the floor." If she slept in Heather's bed, she knew her senses would take over again and she wouldn't get any sleep. Or worse, she'd have one of _those_ dreams again. She shuddered at the memory.

"You are not sleeping on the floor."

"Then where the hell am I going to sleep?" Heather was silent. "Heather? You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking, Morris!"

"Well, if we can't come to a consensus…" Heather shrugged.

"I am _not_ sharing a bed with you," Naya said stubbornly, crossing her arms. "I don't want to catch the _nerd_."

Naya could see something snap in Heather. "Being smart," Heather fired back. "Is not contagious. If it were, I'm sure _you_ would be passing dance."

"Excuse me?" Naya said, placing a hand on her chest. " _Dancing_ is not relevant to your IQ. It's apparent since Pretty Boy Colfer can dance."

"Do not talk about Chris like that," Heather said. "You're just pissed because he's so amazing that Mark couldn't help but fall for him."

It took everything in Naya to restrain herself from lunging at Heather. The nerd _knew_. She knew about Mark being gay. She knew about him being in love with Chris Colfer of all people. "You don't know anything," Naya denied lowly. She stepped closer and bared her teeth. Heather's malicious attitude seemed to disappear as she pressed herself back against the counter. "So just keep your mouth shut."

"Deny it all you want," Heather said, attempting to sound braver than she felt. "But it's not hard to spot love. I can tell that Mark is in love with Chris, not you…like you guys are trying so hard to pass off." Heather stepped forward. "And I know that Dianna doesn't give two shits about Chord, no matter how much she hangs all over him. I remember a time when she wasn't afraid to show that she's in love with Lea. I know a lot more than you think," Heather finished pointedly.

Naya gritted her teeth. Heather was right. She did know a lot more than Naya thought that she did. Naya had always assumed that Heather's ability to keep up with anything classified under 'social' had gone out of the window along with her communication skills. She was stunned into silence and, unable to come up with a valid argument, she grumbled, "Whatever."

"Do you want to share the bed or not?"

Naya inhaled sharply through her nose. "Fine."

\-----

Naya and Heather each showered and then they spent the rest of the night in the sitting room, Heather reading and Naya playing DDR (very poorly, but whatever) and PlayStation. At 12:30, Heather declared that she was going to bed and Naya decided to follow suit.

Heather dug into her closet for an extra blanket, effectively making the bed into two beds so that they wouldn't have to touch at any point during the night. Naya remained vigilant in her quest to avoid looking at everything too much. She had _definitely_ had enough of Heather's personal life for one day.

Naya slipped under her blanket and watched Heather do the same. "'night," Heather said, turning off the lamp. Naya didn't respond as she rolled over to face the opposite wall.

Heather's previous statements ran through her mind. If the nerd knew that much about who everyone was in love with…what did she know about Naya?


	4. Chapter 4

Chris liked working nights best. Nights weren't busy, even Friday nights since most people had Netflix these days. He adjusted the collar of his green polo and cringed. Really, the worst part of working at Family Video was the attire. He'd done all that he could do, but not even Alexander McQueen himself could have turned the uniform into something wearable.

His seven to one Friday night shift was almost over. Thirty more minutes and he'd be free to fall into his warm bed. He'd lost sight of Lea after drama club, but had seen Dianna retreating from the parking lot, looking pleased with herself. By the time he was able to walk from the football field (where he was most definitely not watching a well-muscled hot-shot quarterback practice) to the parking lot, whoever Dianna had obviously been terrorizing was long gone. He highly suspected that the victim had been Lea, what with the look on Dianna's face, but he had not had the chance to call Lea yet.

The bell to his left sounded, signaling the door had just opened, and Chris called, "Hi, welcome to Family Video," over the top of the magazine that he was reading. A few minutes later, a stack of movies and video games was sitting under his nose. Chris reached blindly for the handheld scanner, trying to finish the article that he was on, and asked, "Will that be all for you?"

When Chris didn't get a response, he finally looked up from his magazine. "Do I need to report you?" Mark was smirking back at him. "Isn't this," he began, thumping the cover of the magazine. "Equivalent to sleeping on the job?"

"Oh, um…" Chris tossed the _Vogue_ magazine out of Mark's reach and began to scan the barcodes on the boxes. "You wouldn't believe it, but Friday nights are pretty dead after ten."

"Word, bro," Mark said, nodding. He thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his letterman jacket. "Everyone has that Netflix stuff, right?"

"They're putting us out of business," Chris said, smiling. Mark pulled out his wallet to retrieve his Family Video membership card. "Why are you out this late? Don't you have a big game tomorrow?"

"Nah." Mark handed the card to Chris. "I'm grounded. My old man gave me the keys to my jeep one last time to stock up on games and shit. He's not as strict as my mom."

Chris scanned the card, his eyes avoiding Mark. He had conflicting feelings for Mark. On one hand, Mark was a jock, the biggest, jockiest jock of them all, and destined to be a douche in public. And it wasn't like Mark wasn't smart, he just had absolutely no motivation for anything but football, and that bothered Chris. On the other hand, Mark was gorgeous, and believe it or not, he was kind (at least when he wasn't with his friends). Chris was convinced that Mark had one of the biggest hearts at their high school. Sure, he had done his share of teasing over the years, but he had mellowed out considerably since the end of their junior year. Come senior year, he had almost been a completely different person.

Chris frowned at his computer screen. "Um, your card is expired."

"Word?" Mark frowned. "Can I renew it really quick?"

Chris typed a few things into the database and shook his head. "It's in your mom's name. Only she can renew it. Sorry." He shrugged helplessly.

Mark was silent and Chris hoped that he didn't want to argue. He seemed to want to play the 'but bro you know me!' card, but after a second, he simply said, "Well, shit." He picked up his stack, and Chris watched in amazement as Mark walked around the store and put each box back where he'd found it. "See you Monday, man," he called as he walked through the security barriers.

"Bye Mark," Chris called weakly, holding up his hand halfheartedly.

He turned to watch Mark strut across the parking lot, pulling his letterman closer against the chill of the night. He thought back to eighth grade, when Mark had cut his own hair into a Mohawk, just to experiment with looks. While he had shaved the sides of his head, Mark had neglected to trim the shaggy strip in the middle of his head, and everyone had laughed at him.

Chris had found him under the bleachers, upset and very near tears. Mark had insulted Chris, threatened the hurt him, and Chris had merely offered to fix the messy self-cut. That afternoon, Mark had stepped off of the bus at Chris's house and had allowed the smaller boy to trim his hair into a respectable, badass Mohawk.

Afterwards, Mark had thanked Chris with a firm, chaste kiss on the lips. There had been no begging Chris to keep silent, no threats to hurt him if he told anyone. Just a haircut, a kiss, and Chris's mom driving Mark home.

Everyday since then had been torture to Chris. Not a day went by that he didn't think Mark would panic and turn on him (especially with the recent rumors about Mark floating around). Not a day went by that Chris didn't wonder if it had meant something, anything to Mark. Mark had never been amazing with words; this Chris knew from being in the same English classes, so maybe, Chris thought, he hadn't known how to verbalize a sincere thank you.

Mark had since shaved the Mohawk in favor of a clean buzz cut, mostly for football. Chris thought he looked better with the Mohawk, but whatever.

Chris closed his eyes against the wave of emotions flooding him. "You're not in love," he told himself firmly. "You can't love him."

\-----

When Chris finally got home, Lea's number was on his cell phone and his home phone multiple times. He was finally able to call her back after he'd settled in.

Lea sounded panicked, and after talking her down, Chris was appalled to hear that Dianna had threatened Heather. He'd known that Dianna was nasty (well, at least she was now), but he figured that he never knew how nasty until now.

Chris did his best to assure Lea that everything would be okay and begged her not to tell Heather (which, of course, she already had). Then he promised to help keep an eye on Heather, just to be safe.

" _Do you think she'd actually do it_?" Lea asked before they hung up. She yawned, already half asleep. " _Do something to hurt Heather, I mean…like, hire a hit man or something_."

Chris smiled to himself. "No," he said. "No, Dianna is all talk."

When Lea finally allowed him to go, Chris hung up the phone and plopped onto his own bed. Lea was his best friend, he pondered, and he had just lied to her. Because, yes, he did believe that Dianna would do all of those things. He did believe that she was fully capable of it.

But he couldn't tell Lea that.

\-----

Naya didn't dream often; that is, Naya didn't have dreams that she considered good or happy. She usually dreamt when she was angry or upset. Occasionally she dreamt when she was particularly turned on, in which case Heather may or may not have made an appearance.

Last night had been one of _those_ nights. Her dream had been the most intense yet, and when she awoke, reaching for a blonde dancer that wasn't there, her underwear was soaked through and she was little more than ticked off.

Naya sat on the side of Heather's bed and rubbed her eyes wearily. The sun was exceptionally bright and Naya chanced a glance at the clock. She frowned. Surely it wasn't _three in the afternoon_. She took her cell phone from the night stand to double check the time. Yeah, it was definitely three p.m.

Naya, having the psychotic mother that she had, had not slept past six in the morning since she was 13. And while getting fifteen hours actually had her feeling rested, she was slightly angry. Why the fuck hadn't Heather woken her up?

Naya rose and hurried down the stairs on stiff legs, entering the sitting room where she could hear the TV turned up a bit too loud. Heather was sitting on the couch in sweats, a tank top, and with her hair up. There was a fat, black cat draped across the back of her neck, sleeping soundly, and Naya thought the position looked uncomfortable, but whatever. Heather was busy frantically mashing buttons on an X-Box controller, her character furiously shooting zombies. Naya rolled her eyes and walked around to face Heather.

"Morning," Heather greeted, never taking her eyes off of her game. Her tongue poked out from the corner of her mouth. "I know you have to be hungry – DIE! – so there's breakfast foods – NOOO! – in the pantry and lunch stuff in the fridge."

Naya crossed her arms. "When did you get up?"

Heather groaned as she was swarmed on the game. "About nine,' she answered. The cat draped across her shoulders picked its head up and regarded Naya with narrowed eyes. "This is Zack," Heather said, tilting her controller dramatically. "Zack Morris."

"Your cat has a last name?" Naya shifted from one foot to the other.

"Duh." It seemed that Heather, lost in her newest nerd dimension, had forgotten who was standing in front of her.

"I don't like the way it's looking at me," Naya said uneasily as the cat blinked.

"Zack wouldn’t hurt a fly," Heather promised halfheartedly.

"Yeah, sure," Naya said skeptically, taking a step back when the cat's tail swished. "Why didn't you get me up?" Naya was actually a little hurt (who the hell wouldn't want to spend time with her?), but mostly she was embarrassed that she had slept all day.

Heather shrugged, and Zack meowed in protest. "I was going to get you up earlier, but you looked comfortable."

And she had been, Naya thought. It had been the best sleep that she had gotten since her dad had left. Heather's bed at been comfortable, firm, but not back-breakingly so, and Naya had found that she hadn't woken up once in the fifteen hours that she was in it.

Heather finally tore her eyes away from the screen to look Naya in the eye. "But, you were, like, mumbling, too."

Naya could feel herself flush. "Mumbling?"

"Yeah." Heather nodded. She set her controller on the table in front of her and stood, holding Zack in place so that he wouldn't fall. "But, I couldn't tell what you were saying. I figured you needed the sleep, so I left you." She shrugged again and Zack let out what sounded to Naya like a growl. "You looked really exhausted."

When Naya had crawled into bed, she had expected to be woken up by a drill sergeant in the early hours. She hadn't expected Heather to _care_ about her. She hadn't expected Heather to be kind to her at all. She was expecting retaliation for everything that she'd done to Heather since elementary school. The kindness was off putting, and Naya just wanted to scream at Heather to stop. 

"So, do you feel up for another tutoring session?" Heather asked.

Naya ignored the question and fired one of her own back. "You are aware that I have to make up a dance of my own for the exam, right?" Heather nodded. "Well, shouldn't we…oh, I don't know…be working on that?"

"We will!" Heather insisted. "We'll start that closer to exam time. Right now, I just think that we need to work on your footing more. So are you ready to go today?"

\-----

"I don't bend that way and I wish that you would stop insisting that I do!"

They'd been at it less than an hour, but already tensions were beginning to run high in Heather's studio. After Naya's intense dream, every little touch from Heather set Naya on fire. Even taking Heather's hand for a simple routine sent unwanted tingles into her spine, and, quite frankly, it was pissing Naya off.

Heather flinched at Naya's sudden outburst. "I'm sorry," she said. She took a few steps backwards, turned the music off with the remote, and thrust her hands deep into the pockets of her low riding sweat pants. "I'm sorry," she repeated quietly. "It's just…"

"What?" Naya snapped. Her hands found purchase on her hips, which seemed to be of some comfort to Heather. "Finish your damn sentence."

"Well, it's just that I've tutored cheerleaders before." Heather stared at her feet as they shuffled awkwardly.

"So?" Naya rolled her eyes. "What is the point and how do I make you get to it?"

Behind the veil of stray hair that had fallen from her ponytail, Naya could see Heather grit her teeth. "I've tutored cheerleaders before," she began again. "Biology, AP Calculus, World History. But never dance."

Naya's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "The fuck you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that this is hard for me, okay?" Heather finally looked up angrily. "I've never had to tutor for dance. This is a learning experience for both of us, and it would go a lot smoother if you'd stop insulting me every five seconds."

"How about you stop trying to tell me how to live my life?" Naya shot back, even though she knew that her argument was making no sense at all.

"What?" Heather asked, her brows coming together in confusion. "I'm not, though. I'm just saying that we could do this a lot easier if you'd stop being a…" Heather trailed off and snapped her mouth shut, realizing that the word on the tip of her tongue would have gotten her into more trouble than she was willing to deal with.

Naya stepped closer and Heather gulped. The truth (that she would ever admit it, or course) was that Heather's slip up and the implication that Naya was stupid was like a punch to Naya's sternum. It was hard to hear that from someone that Naya very, very secretly, and very, very deeply, admired. "Shut the fuck up," Naya growled. "And turn the damn music back on."

\-----

"What the fuck?"

"What?"

"What the hell is poking me?"

Heather had chilled out with wanting Naya to do impossible extraneous bending, which had, in turned, allowed Naya to cool her temper a bit. And Heather, much to Naya's chagrin, had decided that they should try a fast paced dance in which they had to stand close. Really close. (Naya understood that this was all to help her footwork, really she did, but she was allowed to be miffed about having to touch Heather.)

And now something on Heather's body was poking Naya and she wasn't exactly sure what to think about that.

"What are you talking about?" Heather asked.

"Something poked me," Naya repeated slowly. She reached down and took the hem of Heather's shirt in her hand. By the time Heather realized what was happening, Naya had already hiked her shirt up to expose her navel. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Heather flushed deep crimson and yanked her shirt down. "Surprise," she muttered, obviously embarrassed.

"You have your navel pierced?" Naya asked skeptically and Heather nodded. Naya's hand twitched, a reflex of wanting to bring her hand to her own navel piercing, which only Mark knew about. She and Heather were similar in many ways. "When?"

Heather thought for a minute. "About two years ago. It was a rebellion thing, after my dad died."

Naya threw her hands up. "I want to get this all out of the way now," she said, taking a step back to give Heather room. "What else is there that I don't know about you? Tell me. Now."

Heather looked startled for a moment, unsure of what to do. She thought quietly, looking torn, then she finally lifted her shirt again, just a little bit, and lowered the waistband of her pants. Naya stood, watching carefully as Heather covered the small tattoo of a haloed angel on her hip, and then turned her back to Naya and pulled up her shirt again, revealing another tattoo of an angel with wide-spread wings on her lower back.

Naya scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I should have known," she muttered. "Looks like little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes is a bit less than good."

Heather lowered her shirt and faced Naya again. "After my dad died, yeah, I went through a bit of a rebellious stage," Heather said. "The tattoos…they weren't supposed to be anything. But they ended up being sort a tribute to him. And I thought the navel ring was cute."

Naya wanted to laugh maniacally. Heather had given her everything she needed to ruin her reputation as the good girl. Everything Heather had worked so hard for over the years could be gone at the snap of Naya's fingers. Naya liked control, and right now she pretty much had all of it. Naya made a mental note to come back to this later.

"You know what?" Naya asked, backing towards the door. "I've had enough of you for one weekend. So I'm going to go home and have some me time."

Heather had obviously given up hiding the hurt that she felt when Naya made hateful comments. "Oh, okay," she said. "So…next weekend?"

Naya shrugged. "Got nothing better to do, I guess," she said viciously.

Naya gathered up her things. There was too much _Heather_ in her brain, too many conflicting thoughts. Was Heather really secretly a badass? The nice body, the kind-of-hotness at home, these things were kind of believable. Pierced navel, tattooed Heather? Nu-uh. No one who hadn't seen it would believe it. Naya was willing to bet money that, if she pulled Heather's shirt up in a few days, that 'piercing' and the 'tattoos' would be gone.

Naya smiled wickedly as she slammed Heather's front door and walked home. Monday was going to be fun.

\-----

Her mother was waiting at the door, arms crossed angrily, when Naya finally got home.

"What?" Naya snapped. She bypassed her mother and stomped up the stairs.

"You didn't come home last night, young lady." Footsteps followed Naya to her room and she scoffed.

"Neither did you," she accused. "I called to see if you could pick me up because Mark is grounded. And 'young lady'? I'm 18, woman!"

Ms. Rivera narrowed her eyes. "This isn't about me," she said. "You were supposed to come home after whatever it was that you were doing. No excuses."

Naya rubbed her temples. "Dance tutoring, mom. I called you right after school and told you. And by the time that we finished, it was dark, and there aren't any street lights between here and Heather's."

"You take the long way then," her mother argued. "Where there are lights."

"Really, mom?" Naya cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Or call Dianna. She's such a sweet young woman."

Naya snorted and held her hand to her mouth. That statement proved how little her mom knew about _everything_. Dianna had her sweet moments, sure, but she was far from innocent. Behind that sweet façade, Dianna was a sneaky, conniving wench. "Yeah, right. She only answers Chord these days." Naya regarded her mother. "I have a better idea. You could have climbed off of whoever you were mounted on all night to answer your cell phone."

Ms. Rivera's face purpled with anger, but she couldn't exactly argue that Naya knew exactly where she had been. "You're grounded," she whispered lowly.

"What?!" Naya exclaimed. "You can't ground me for circumstances that I couldn't change! It's not my fault that you'd rather party than answer my calls!"

Ms. Rivera huffed angrily and walked away, mumbling obscenities in Spanish.

Naya threw herself face down on her bed, contemplating sneaking out to cheer Mark on during the big game.

Monday never looked so good.


	5. Chapter 5

Mondays suck. No matter whom you were, no matter your IQ or social status, the cold, hard truth was just that. Mondays suck. The jocks and cheerleaders were recovering from their post game parties, the nerds were cowering as close to the lockers as possible (hung over jocks were not fun to be around), and Lea…well, Lea was just hoping to avoid Dianna.

Dianna with her stupid threats and her dangerous, yet intriguing aura. Dianna who had been so kind in the beginning. Dianna, the girl who had stomped on the heart that loved her with every beat it produced.

So it would only stand to reason that Dianna would find Lea right after second period. Lea had just finished switching out her books. She shut her locker door, and there was Dianna, waiting behind it, acting every bit the cliché high school creeper.

"Good morning, Dianna," Lea greeted politely. She hugged her books closely and stepped away.

Dianna smiled and Lea was taken aback at how genuine the gesture looked and felt. "Good morning, Lea," Dianna chirped. "This is a lovely morning, don't you think?"

Lea scratched her forehead and glanced outside. "Um…I guess so." Except it wasn't because it was dark and there was freezing rain pouring from the sky in torrents. But whatever.

"Such a lovely morning," Dianna repeated, staring at Lea.

Lea shuffled her feet, growing nervous under Dianna's dreamy gaze. "Um, yeah. Dianna, are you feeling okay?"

Dianna shook her head, pulling herself from her trance, almost as if she hadn't realized what she had been doing. She cleared her throat. "Yeah…just…in a really good mood for some reason."

Lea looked all around. "Where is Chord?" Normally the blonde football star was the center of Dianna's world, the source of her good moods. But now, he was no where to be found and Lea was a bit thrown off. It was rare that the two of them weren't attached at the hip.

Dianna shrugged. She slung an arm around Lea's shoulders and began to walk, encouraging Lea to follow suit. "Did you pass the message?" She asked quietly, but the menace was strangely missing.

Still, Lea's stomach flipped. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I told her."

"And?" Dianna pressed, smiling at one of her cheerleader friends.

Lea stopped walking and swallowed hard. She didn't know what Dianna wanted her to say. She stood, looking up at Dianna. She seemed different, nicer, _happier_. Her ever present threatening demeanor seemed less threatening, and to say that Lea was baffled would be a huge understatement. "And what?"

Dianna smiled and shook her head. "Never mind," she said airily before disappearing into the crowd.

\-----

Using the techniques that Heather had taught her over the weekend, Naya found that dance class was considerably easier. She still wasn't the best in the class by any means, but she was right up there with Jenna and she was slowly creeping up on Pretty Boy Chris. Ms. Mays praised her footwork and beamed with pride when she was able to stay on beat with the music. Naya had to actually admit that it felt pretty amazing to know that someone was proud of her, even if it was just Bambi.

But Naya most certainly did not enjoy the butterflies that came with the overwhelming urge to run directly to Heather after class and tell her all about it. She didn't want to want to run to Heather and hug the fuck out of her and thank her a million times for helping her enjoy the one class that she woke up everyday dreading. 

To counterbalance these unwanted feelings, Naya sought out Heather after class to put her plans into motion. When she couldn't find Heather before lunch, Naya settled for grabbing Mark by the back of the neck and sticking her tongue down his throat, releasing all of her negative energy into a kiss that she knew neither of them was enjoying.

(Naya felt a strange pang in her chest when she finally caught a glimpse of Heather down the hallway.)

"Whoa, Rivera," Mark said. He grasped her hips and pushed her back. Naya pushed his hands off and moved in again, but Mark dodged her and grabbed her shoulders. "No. What's wrong?"

"Goddammit," Naya spat. "What do I have to do, grab you by the dick?"

Mark recoiled in surprise, but shifted his grip to Naya's wrists to keep her at bay. "While that would be enjoyable," he whispered, only half joking. "You only do this when something is wrong. As your best friend, I am obligated to care." He averted his eyes to Heather, who was trying and failing to glance subtly at the two of them, briefly. "So I will ask you again. What's wrong?"

Naya huffed. She had every intention of unloading in the loudest way possible, but quickly deflated once she opened her mouth. "I just spent way too much time with her this weekend."

"Ah." Mark released his tight hold on Naya and hugged her. "Got her in your head, I see."

Naya ignored his question and pushed away from him. She'd never admit it, but Mark's hugs made almost every situation better. "In other news, you look like shit."

"Aw, how sweet of you."

"Okay, okay," Naya relented. "What's wrong?" Naya knew that all of the football players and the cheerleaders had partied hard after their big win on Saturday night, but Mark, having been grounded, had been taken straight home after the game. Despite that, Mark still looked disheveled, almost like he had partied harder than anyone.

Mark shrugged. "I didn't sleep well at all this weekend."

"Oh," Naya said quietly, and then lowered her voice even further. "Did you watch _that_ movie again?" 

"What? No! Very funny," Mark deadpanned. "One time and you just refuse to let it go."

"You screamed."

"Not the point."

"You screamed _like a girl_."

"So? That shit was scary!"

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong with you or not?" Naya questioned. "Because I got a long list of things that I could be doing besides beating this out of you."

Mark ran a hand over his recently buzzed hair. "Friday night, I went to Family Video-"

Naya interrupted him with an irritated sigh. "There's your problem," she said. "You saw Colfer and got him stuck in your brain. I told you to stay away from there."

"How come you can be all love sick, but I can't?" Mark frowned. "I have feelings."

"I know how to handle my _feelings_ ," Naya said.

"Being a bitch to her won't make those _feelings_ go away," Mark said. "You do realize that the more you try to convince yourself that you'll get over her, the harder you'll fall, right?"

Naya scoffed. "At least the love sick puppy act looks good on me." She shimmied, and then glared at a passing freshman who decided to take a longer look than she felt comfortable with. "At least I look hot."

The lunch bell rang and Naya left Mark standing by his locker. "Yeah, you just keeping telling yourself that, Rivera," he called after her. "You'll have to tell her one day!"

\-----

"Dianna and Chord broke up."

Lea hadn't been listening to a word Cory was saying to her, but at this she perked up. "What? Why?"

Cory shrugged. "I dunno." He fiddled with his fork. "She broke up with him right after the game Saturday."

Across the table, Chris was telling Heather all about his weekend, and Heather just looked like she wanted to put a fork in her eye (Lea could hear bits of what Chris was saying, and she knew that none of it was about anything Heather cared about in life). Lea bit into a carrot thoughtfully. "She was different this morning," she said.

"I know!" Cory exclaimed, obviously glad that someone else had noticed. "Like…happier, right? She even said hey to me…it was weird."

Lea's shoulders slumped in disappointment and she chastised herself for thinking that Dianna's cheerful mood had been caused by her. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Weird."

"They'll be back together before the end of the week," Chris piped up. "Don't they do this all the time?"

Heather, thankful for the distraction that took Chris away, glanced to the jock's table. Most of them were still stuck in party mode, some were still in hang over mode, but Heather's eyes were drawn instantly to Naya and Dianna, sitting off by themselves. Naya stood out in her regular clothes amongst the sea of green jerseys and cheerleading uniforms, and Heather wondered if she really was aware of Dianna's threats towards her. Heather didn’t think Naya was in on it (really, why would Naya have Dianna go through Lea to get to her when she was alone with Heather all weekend?), but Dianna and Naya had always been pretty tight, so there was really no way to tell.

Naya looked over and caught Heather staring. An easy smile began to spread across Naya's face before she caught herself and scowled.

Heather looked away, trying to hide her grin. The way to deal with Naya was to take baby steps, go one day at a time. She was sure she could break Naya.

\-----

Naya restrained herself from physically touching Heather the entire week, knowing that, after the weekend, any physical contact would be the death of her. She settled for the occasional insult (mostly 'nerd' because she couldn't come up with something more clever) all week.

Friday afternoon, Naya had finally talked herself up to go through with her plan. She had let Dianna in on her plan at the beginning of the week, mainly because she felt like this would be a two person job.

Naya watched Heather at the other end of the hallway, stuffing her books into her locker. "You ready?" She asked Dianna. Dianna closed her locker and they both handed their things to Mark. Dianna nodded.

"What are you two up to?" Mark asked cluelessly.

Naya winked at him. "Just watch."

Dianna and Naya strutted confidently towards Heather. Heather was too busy exchanging her things to notice them. Naya reached forward and slammed Heather's locker door, nearly catching Heather's retreating fingers and successfully gaining the attention of everyone in the hallway. Heather jumped and dropped her bag. She looked questioningly at Naya and Dianna and nudged her glasses up her nose, something that Naya was realizing was a nervous habit. Naya avoided looking into Heather's bright blue orbs and focused on addressing everyone.

"Everyone listen up," she called. "I spent a lot of time with Heather this weekend, and I learned something about her that I think everyone should know." Hundreds of eyes turned to Heather and her face reddened. Naya smirked at her.

Heather's frightened gaze turned to Naya as Dianna hooked the bend of each of her elbows, pinning her arms behind her back. To Naya, the sight was comical given the three inch height difference and the knowledge that Heather could have fought both of them off had she not been so obviously terrified.

Naya reached forward, ignoring the part of her brain telling her not to do this. She took the tail of Heather's shirt in one hand and the waist band of her jeans in the other. Heather caught on to what Naya was doing and her eyes silently pleaded. "Wait-" she began to say, but Naya pulled her shirt up and the waist band of her jeans down and gasped.

The piercing and the tattoo that she had expected to disappear were still there. "What the fuck?" Dianna breathed. Naya could feel the student body closing in as everyone whispered and tried to get a better look at Heather's rebel markings. Heather's entire body was colored red in embarrassment.

"Turn her around," Naya commanded Dianna, already feeling dumb. Heather didn't even put up a fight as Dianna spun her and Naya lifted her shirt. The tattoo spanning her lower back was still firmly in place, the intricacy making the artwork impossible to fake. Naya licked her thumb and pressed it against the ink, making Heather jump, dragging until she was fully convinced that it was permanent. People were beginning to flat out laugh, but Naya knew that Heather's embarrassment was more appealing to them than her stupidity. 

Naya and Dianna released Heather and exchanged dumbstruck looks. Dianna shrugged. Heather turned and looked around at the pointing, laughing crowd. The sad action only made people laugh harder. Her eyes finally spilled over when she looked to Naya. Naya wanted to say something, anything, but Heather grabbed her bag and ran, crashing noisily through the front double doors. Naya's eyes remained fixed on the place that Heather's face had been moments earlier. She couldn't understand why her heart felt the way that it did, but when Mark sidled up, asking, "What were you hoping to accomplish with that?" Naya buried her face in his chest, willing her tears away.

Dianna took her bag from the spot that Mark had dropped it when Naya rushed into his arms. She knew that Naya had been expecting the ink and piercing to be fake. Her plan had been to call Heather on a lie, prove that she wasn't perfect like most thought that she was; all that she had succeeded in was tainting a deeply missed man's memory.

She watched Mark hold Naya close, stroking her hair, and Lea stomped up to her.

"Why would you do that?" Lea screeched, her gaze snapping from Dianna to Naya and back again. Her voice rose with every syllable she uttered and Dianna frowned, but none of them attempted to stop Lea. "Do you realize-" Lea paused and took a deep breath. "You two…are terrible people." She turned to Dianna. "I can't believe I-" She stopped again, shook her head, and stalked away to find Heather.

\-----

Mark still couldn't drive her and of course her mother was MIA again, so Naya was stuck walking from her house to Heather's. The incident at school had happened well over two hours ago and all Naya wanted to do was explain. She didn't expect Heather to forgive her (hell, she'd completely trashed Heather's symbol of love for Mr. Morris), she didn't expect Heather to understand that this had been another act of cruel bullying, but Naya at least hoped Heather would tolerate her long enough to finish tutoring her (yes, it was selfish, but hello, duh).

Naya rang the doorbell and rocked on the balls of her feet. Finally, Heather opened the door, her heaving chest, sweatpants, and sweat-soaked gray tank top making it obvious that Heather had just come from her dance studio.

"What do you want?" Heather's wounded voice drifted to Naya's ears and she cringed.

"We have a tutor date," Naya said feebly, hoping she didn't sound too hopeful. She needed this and she needed Heather to understand that.

"No," Heather said. She shook her head and blocked Naya's entrance into her house. "No."

"No?" Naya asked. She clutched the strap of her book bag tighter in her hands and stepped forward.

Heather swallowed hard but stood her ground. "Find another tutor," she said quietly. "I'm not going to help you if you only repay me with humiliation."

"Oh, come on," Naya whined, trying not to jump in place like a toddler. "I've done this our entire lives and you're just _now_ having a problem with it?"

Heather stared down at her. Naya knew that Heather could tell that she was kind of sorry for what she had done (this whole thing wouldn't be this bad had the tattoos not been for Heather's father). She was just waiting for Naya to say it, and, while apologies would be a far cry from fixing things, Naya knew that it would be a decent start. She opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her; apologizing wasn't her thing. It wasn't something that she did, even on a yearly basis, so could Heather really blame her? 

Heather shook her head sadly. "Find a new tutor."

Then, the door slammed in Naya's face.

\-----

When Naya got home, she pulled the phone book from the desk drawer and copied Ms. Mays' number down on a notepad. She dialed the number quickly and drummed her fingers on the desk.

" _Hello_?"

"Hi, Ms. Mays," Naya said dejectedly. "This is Naya. I was just calling to tell you that some stuff went down, and, long story short, Heather doesn't want to tutor me anymore."

Naya heard Ms. Mays gasp and she nearly rolled her eyes. " _Okay, let me call around_ ," she said, and Naya could already hear papers (no doubt student information sheets) rustling. " _I'll see what I can arrange and I'll call you back, okay_?"

Naya hung up the phone and paced nervously. She hadn’t really thought that Heather would refuse her, but then again she couldn’t blame her. Heather had trusted her enough to reveal her secrets, the ones that she held closest to her heart, and Naya had completely taken it for granted.

Naya didn’t feel bad about many things that she had done in her life. But this? She was pretty sure this had to be the worst feeling ever, knowing that she ruined someone’s memory. What she had done was low, even for her (hell, that shit was low for _Dianna_ ).

The phone rang and Naya scrambled to answer it, but the voice that greeted her was Dianna’s.

“ _Have you talked to Morris_?”

Naya sighed. “I went to her house because she was supposed to tutor me, and she just…turned me away.”

“ _Turned you away_?” Dianna’s demeanor changed. She no longer sounded like she regretted what they had done. Now, she just sounded angry.

“Yeah,” Naya confirmed, confused about Dianna’s sudden mood swing. “She said she doesn’t want to tutor me anymore since I only humiliate her. But, I mean, you can’t really blame her, right?”

“ _What about cheerleading? What about graduation_?” Dianna asked. “ _Naya_ -”

“I don’t know, okay?” Naya admitted. “Ms. Mays is making some calls, but if not…hey, there’s always next year right?” Even as she said it, her heart broke; she _had_ to graduate. She had to get away from her lunatic of a mother. “Like, I said…I would have turned me away too.”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Dianna said slowly. “ _Hey, look, I’ll talk to you on Monday, okay_?”

“Wait, what’s up?” Naya asked quickly. “Why are you angry? Did Chord do something?”

“ _What_?” Dianna asked. “ _No, no, Chord and I are cool. We talked and stuff_.”

“Well why are you so angry?” Naya asked obliviously.

Dianna was silent for a beat. “ _It’s nothing…I just remembered something that I…have to take care of_.”

“Well,” Naya said, deciding to let it go. “Okay then. Good luck at the game tonight.”

Before Naya could set the phone down, it was ringing again.

“ _Okay, I talked to Heather_ ,” Ms. Mays said. “ _And she’s very upset_.” Naya cringed. “ _So, I’ve arranged for Harry to tutor you._ ” Naya wanted to punch herself for feeling as disappointed as she did.

“Thank you,” she said dully.

“ _Naya_?” Ms. Mays asked before she hung up. “ _I trust that you will treat Harry better than you treated Heather_.” Then, she hung up without another word.

Naya dropped the phone on the couch beside of her and cradled her head in her hands.


	6. Chapter 6

Naya, doubled over and breathing heavily, watched as Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. Sweat beaded down her temple. They’d been dancing for nearly four and a half hours and Naya still couldn’t get the one routine down. Harry wasn’t, by any means, a bad teacher. His style was just…different. His movements were clipped, precise, and he expected Naya to hit every mark on the mark. It was only the first day and Naya was all geared up to throw in the towel and lay down to accept her fate.

Harry raked a hand through his thick black hair. “Okay, let’s go again.”

Naya stood straight and placed a hand on her aching hip, cradling it. “Again?” She gasped.

Harry grinned at her, like it was supposed to offer some comfort. “Yeah.”

Naya rolled her eyes. Harry was nice enough, but way too eager. “I think I’m finished for the day,” she said honestly. She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead. Harry, unlike _some people_ , didn’t have his own dance studio, so they were stuck practicing at the dumpiest studio in town, the one with the busted air conditioner.

“Aw, come on,” Harry said. He walked towards the stereo and Naya narrowed her eyes at his back.

“Look, I’m not a dancer,” she snarked. She took her towel from her bag and mopped the back of her neck. “And I don’t claim to be-”

“Obviously.”

Naya took a deep breath. She had to control her temper. Harry was the only person that would and could teach her; she couldn’t afford to piss him off. She understood that he was just trying to be funny, to maybe break the tension, but really? “I’m not asking for much, Shum. Just a little patience.”

Harry’s face and playful demeanor dropped. “Patience won’t get you back on the cheer squad. Patience won’t get you walking across that stage come June. You don’t need patience, you need a push.”

“I agreed to meet you on a Saturday,” Naya fired back. She began to pack her things. “I gave up my Saturday morning. I don’t do that for just anyone.”

 

Harry smirked and abandoned the stereo. “Should I feel honored?” He didn’t sound angry, he didn’t sound like he was trying to be a smartass. I just sounded curious, like what was so special about Naya Rivera. 

Naya stood straight again and crossed her arms defensively. “Uh, yes, you should. No one is worth my Saturday.” If she were being honest with herself, she’d say that she was glad to get out of the house, glad to have her mind occupied by something other than her alcoholic mother and the girl that had, in a weird way, dumped her the night prior.

Harry was silent for a moment, but Naya could tell that there was something that he was just itching to ask her. She waved her hand, gesturing for him to spit it out already. “Was Heather worth it?”

Naya wanted to say no, really she did. Her heart picked up speed at the mention of Heather’s name. Her hands shook. Once again, if she were being honest with herself, she would say that the time that she’d spent at Heather’s house was the most fun that she’d had since her father and siblings left. Instead, she kept quiet, not trusting her own voice.

“Heather and I are really close, you know?” Harry continued. “We’ve known each other since we were three. We’re practically brother and sister. Twins even.” He began to move his feet, dancing to a made up rhythm. “You know, except for me being Asian.”

Naya swallowed against the lump in her throat. Her eyes followed his movements and suddenly she found herself wishing that she had talent. All she really had going for her was cheerleading, and while that would get her into college, that wouldn’t get her any further. She wanted a talent that was worthwhile, a talent that she could make a career out of. “What’s your point?”

“My point is,” Harry said before hefting himself into an impressive back flip. “Heather and I talk and stuff.”

“So?”

Harry cocked an eyebrow. “So Heather tells me everything. So I know a lot of stuff that you don’t.”

Naya scoffed, but a strange feeling began to flutter in her stomach. “Like what?” She asked quietly, hoping that her voice hadn’t squeaked the way that she suspected it did.

Harry Dougie’d his way to her, stopping a few feet short. “I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to.” He smiled kindly at her and she shuffled her feet nervously. “Bro code and all.”

“Bro code,” Naya agreed faintly. She wanted to release a snarky reply involving Heather and a vulgar penis joke, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it (she chalked it up to the fact that she and Mark had a bro code and if there was one thing that Naya was not, it was a hypocrite).

“Yep.” Harry plopped down on the floor, stretched his lean legs out in front of him, and motioned for Naya to join him. “Look, I know that you don’t enjoy this dancing thing, and I understand. It’s not for everyone. And I know that having the right tutor makes all the difference in the world. I’m not that tutor, right?” Naya shook her head reluctantly. Harry slapped her knee lightly. “And I’ll be completely honest with you…I want to tutor you as much as you want me to tutor you. So why don’t you do us both a favor and go apologize to Heather?”

Naya looked away. “I don’t know,” she said uncertainly. It was odd, she pondered, how she just felt the need to open up her soul to Harry. When people attempted to get personal with her, Naya’s first reaction was to throw out some hurtful comments and walk away, even with Mark. But Harry had such a caring air about him that Naya couldn’t help but cave at his insistence.

“What?” He asked. “What do you not know about?”

Naya swallowed to find her voice. “What if I apologize and she turns me away again?” She asked pitifully. “I’ll be right back to square one, failing and tutorless.”

Harry slapped her knee again, but let his hand rest there, drawing her eyes back to him. “Tell you what. If she turns you away again, which she won’t, I’ll keep tutoring you.” Naya grimaced. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

\-----

She’d had to practically beat the address out of Mark, but once she had it, Dianna set her plan to motion.

Her original plans had involved three of the football team’s burliest boys, but why send an ape to do a lady’s job? Plus, for the time being, she just wanted to put a little scare into the nerd. Knowing most of the football guys as well as she did, she knew things would get out of hand and escalate quickly.

Now, Dianna was standing in front of an absurdly large house, her cheerleading skirt fluttering in the breeze, and planning Mark Salling’s demise. There was absolutely no way that Heather lived here.

Dianna double, then triple checked the house number that Mark had written down before ringing the doorbell. She surveyed the property with wary eyes until, finally, Heather, drying her hands on a blue dish towel, opened the door.

Heather nearly dropped the cloth at the sight of Dianna. “Um…”

“Heather!” Dianna gushed, and then dropped her fake smile. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” She asked, even as she pushed past Heather and into the entrance hall.

Heather’s heart raced (what did heart attacks feel like?) and she turned her eyes to Dianna, whose hands were on her hips. Having Dianna Agron in her home was scary enough, but her earlier threat and the fact that she just looked so pissed off just made it worse. Heather had tried to keep her address private, on a need to know basis, since it seemed that everyone was out to get her. Yet, here Dianna was, looking every bit Heather’s worst nightmare. “Um, hi?” She questioned cautiously.

“Oh, don’t even,” Dianna said. “Let’s get right to the point. Why’d you drop Naya like that? All the girl wants to do is be a cheerleader and graduate. Is it too much to ask that you help her?”

Heather’s eyes darted nervously. Her mom was somewhere in the house, and now would be a great time for her to just pop up. It wasn’t that Heather couldn’t fight her own battles, but this was Saturday. She shouldn’t _have_ to go through this today. The week (at least the school week) belonged to the jocks, the cheerleaders, to Naya and Dianna. The weekend? That was Heather’s, and it wasn’t fair for Dianna to show up at her house and get in her face like this. “All I want is to go a day without being pushed, insulted, or humiliated…is _that_ too much to ask?”

Before Heather could even think to blink, Dianna was standing mere millimeters from her, straining to literally get in her face (Heather was a good three, maybe four, inches taller than her, and Dianna found it difficult to be badass on her tiptoes). “Excuse me?” She asked. “This isn’t about you.”

Heather swallowed and took a step back, which was matched with a step forward from Dianna. She could easily imagine this happening at school, or even on the walk home, but in her own home? Heather never imagined she’d see the day that she’d be pummeled to death by the school bully in her own house with her mother only a few rooms away. She tried to sidestep Dianna, but Dianna grabbed her forearm to keep her in place.

“Here’s the deal, nerd,” Dianna seethed. Heather flinched at the insult, surprising herself. She was so used to them now that she never flinched, but she supposed she couldn’t really be blamed. This was a different atmosphere. Her home was tainted now, just like her father’s memory. “You’re going to tell Naya on Monday that you’ll keep tutoring her. Or you’ll regret it. Comprende?”

“Why should I?” Heather asked, standing up to her full height in the hopes that, maybe, just maybe, it would intimidate Dianna (if it did, Dianna wasn’t showing it). “You two humiliated me on Friday and ruined something that was close to me.”

“And this is new?”

“It was cruel,” Heather said. “And you know it.”

Dianna shrugged. “You’re alive.”

Heather grit her teeth. “Unfortunately.”

“What is going on here?”

Dianna spun around. A blonde woman (a fucking gorgeous blonde woman) was standing behind her with her hands on her hips, eyeing the hand that was holding Heather’s arm so tightly. Dianna released the limb and gave a small wave. “Hi, Ms. Morris,” she greeted, taking a shot in the dark. “I just came by to ask Heather if she would mind tutoring me in trigonometry. It’s such an awful subject, you know?” It was, of course, a lie, because absolutely no one could fail Mr. O’Malley’s class. Turning back to Heather, Dianna muttered, “Remember what I said.” Then, she sidestepped Heather and exited the house through the still open door, feeling very proud of herself.

Heather, hands shaking, shut and locked the door behind Dianna.

“What was that about?” Liz asked, crossing her arms, looking like a very cliché mother. “Was that one of those girls that gives you so much trouble at school?”

“Mom, everyone gives me trouble at school.” Heather bypassed her mother to enter the kitchen. She took deep breaths, trying to push her tears away. She could fully understand why Naya had a problem with her existence, but Dianna? Heather couldn’t remember a time when she’d actually initiated a conversation with Dianna.

“Heather-”

“Mom, please,” Heather snapped, wiping furiously at her eyes. She threw the dish towel over her shoulder and leaned against the sink. “I can handle it, okay? Just…April and Allie will be here soon.”

\-----

Swallowing her pride was not something that Naya had ever pictured herself doing, especially when it came to Heather, but here she was, walking towards the backyard of Heather’s house. She’d been lying on the doorbell for a good five minutes and had finally heard playful screaming coming from the backyard.

Her talk with Harry earlier had left her more confused than ever about Heather, but one thing was clear to her: she had to apologize. And not just for herself. She felt guilty about the whole tattoo and piercing thing, and she needed Heather to know that she was truly sorry for it.

Rounding the corner, Naya was met with the most adorable sight ever. An older blonde (obviously Heather’s sister), an older male, a little blonde girl, and Heather were running around the cement basketball court in the glow of the setting sun. As she watched, a smile on her face, the little girl stole the ball from the man and ran towards the goal. Heather scooped her up and hefted her over her head so she could put the ball through the hoop. All of them cheered her on and Heather sat the girl on her shoulders, performing a victory dance with her.

Naya’s smile grew as images bubbled up into her mind’s eye. An older Heather, a little blonde boy and his younger, tanner, darker haired sister, a dog, all of them running around an impossibly green yard bordered by a white-

“Naya?” Naya blinked. Heather was setting the little girl down next to her. She latched onto Heather's hand as soon as her feet were on the ground, and Heather led her to Naya. "What are you doing here?" Anger tinged the edges of her voice and Naya swallowed.

She took a deep breath to push all of the ridiculous images from her mind (there would be plenty of time to punch herself in the face later). "Hi," she breathed. "I was just wondering if we could talk." She looked down when she felt a tiny fist wrap around the hem of her shirt and tug twice. The little girl was curling a finger at her, beckoning Naya down. "Well, hey there cutie pie," Naya cooed once she was crouching and they were eye level. She glanced up at Heather who was obviously having a hard time hiding her smile. "What's your name?"

"Allie," she said, grinning toothily.

Naya took Allie's hand and kissed the back of it affectionately. "Hello, Princess Allie. I'm Naya."

Allie's mouth formed a tight 'o' and she slapped a hand over it. She giggled behind her hand, looked up to Heather, and pointed up at her with her free hand. Naya looked up. Heather's face and the tips of her ears had turned an unnatural shade of red. Heather tapped Allie on the back of her head twice and Allie took off, squealing all the way back to Heather's sister.

Naya stood up. Heather pressed her lips together tightly. "She's three," she said as if that would answer all of Naya's life problems.

"She's cute," Naya said matter-of-factly.

Heather nodded. "She's my niece," she said quietly. "That's my sister, April, and her husband, Jeremy."

"Cute family." Naya smiled as she watched Allie and Jeremy roll around in the grass.

"What do you want, Naya?" Heather asked, cutting right to the chase. "Why are you here?"

Naya found it surprisingly difficult to tear her eyes away from the family across the yard. "I wanted to apologize," she said. "For Friday." Heather stuffed her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants and looked down at her shoes. Naya took it as a sign to continue. "What we did…what _I_ did was wrong. It was cruel. I, like, live to torment you, and you know that, but Friday I took it way too far. So, I'm sorry." Naya scuffed the toe of her shoe on the grass.

Naya heard Heather sigh before the girl looked up. There were tears streaming down her pale face and it alarmed Naya. "Let me guess," Heather sniffed. "Harry refuses to tutor you, so you need me?" Naya shook her head, but before she could argue her point, Heather continued. "You hurt me. What you did was cruel."

"I know."

"My tribute to my father is ruined."

"I know."

"How could you?"

Naya hesitated a moment, then tentatively reached forward to tangle their fingers together; Heather didn't resist. Then, Naya ran the pad of her free thumb across Heather's closed eyelids, drying her drenched eyelashes; Heather leaned into her touch. "What do I have to do to make you realize that I'm sorry? I feel bad, I felt bad the moment I did it. I know I suck, and I'm readily admitting that. I'm not asking you to tutor me again, that's your decision. But I do need you to understand that I'm _sorry_. _I'm sorry_." Heather was silent, but Naya could feel her fingers twitching and she was aware of the multiple sets of eyes on them. "I'll get down on my knees if I have to. And, if you do choose to tell me that you'll tutor me again, I'll be better, I promise. I mean…I can't promise that I won't slip up…but nothing extreme. Nothing like Friday. I swear."

Heather looked surprised, overwhelmed. Then, she bit her lip and asked, "So…when do you want to start again?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Taylor is a bit taboo in the Heya fandom, but he is mentioned in this chapter. He has no romantic affiliation to Heather, he's just a McDonald's employee, and he's only there for about three sentences. The character's original name was Doug - because at the time we didn't know about Taylor - but I changed it because I thought it would add a bit more flow than bringing in an OC.

When Heather took her by the hand and spun her, Naya felt more at peace than she had in days. She giggled as they stopped; Heather's front pressed tightly against her back, hips firm against her backside, and began to sway. The room was warm, elevated by the hand sweeping across the sliver of exposed skin across her mid drift, and Heather had a strange patience with her that Harry could only ever dream of having.

After her heartfelt apology, Naya had planted herself firmly on the grass to watch Heather and her family play basketball (Heather was unnaturally skilled at that, too, Naya realized) until Liz announced that dinner was ready. Heather bounded off, and Naya chanced to guess that she told Liz that she would be joining them; Liz did not look pleased, but her eyes softened considerably throughout the meal as she accepted the fact that Heather wasn't that bothered by Naya's presence.

Naya got to know Heather's family, too. April, her sister, was an RN two counties away. She was exactly like Heather in every way possible, except her bright green eyes and her short stature (Naya was at least three inches taller than April). Jeremy was the type of man that Naya hoped her younger sister would find and marry. He joked lightheartedly at everyone's expense, especially Heather's, but the love filling his gaze when he looked to April and Allie was unmatched by anything that Naya had ever seen (her parents had certainly never looked at each other like that while they were together). And Allie. Naya could go on for hours about Allie given the chance. She didn’t know that it was physically possible for a human being to be so fucking adorable with spaghetti sauce all over their face and in their hair, but here Allie was, making it happen like it was the easiest thing in the world.

And then there was Heather. Naya knew that Heather was mildly uncomfortable with her presence, but being around her family was loosening her up and if it were possible for her to fall more in love, Naya knew that she was screwed to the highest possible degree. She laughed and talked loudly and confidently, and it was almost like she had forgotten that this was Naya, the bitch who had made her life hell. More than once, Naya and Heather’s eyes met and Naya couldn’t help but grin broadly, because damn the happiness permeating from this group was infectious.

Or maybe they had drugged her. It’s a very real possibility, and, strangely, Naya feels okay with that.

At 6:30, Heather had excused herself and Naya and had led the way to the studio. Around thirty minutes later, April, Jeremy, and Allie had wandered down to bid them farewell, and an hour later, Liz came to tell them that she was leaving for another weird shift. She ordered them to behave, and informed Heather that she was carpooling, so the Jeep was hers until Tuesday afternoon.

Now, it was past midnight and there they were, swaying ass-to-front, giggling like they’d been best friends their entire lives. If she could spend her nights like this, Naya supposed she wouldn’t miss cheerleading that much. But, of course, only because she was getting away from her mother. Heather had absolutely nothing to do with it. Nope.

Naya had long since accepted and become comfortable with her sexuality. If the whole school found out, she knew it wouldn’t be that bad. But her real reason for needing Mark as a beard? Heather. There was a part of her brain asking her what on earth she was doing. She’s supposed to get over the nerd, to go to college and forget this girl’s existence, not standing here wrapped in Heather’s strong embrace, giggling like a mad woman. This ‘friendship’ wasn’t supposed to take this turn. They were supposed to dance, and then go their separate ways.

But another part of her brain, the winning part of her brain, screamed that this was _right_ , told her to hold onto this warm feeling, to grab it and never let it go, because this? This was happiness. This is what it felt like to be loved, to be wanted. Something told her that no one would ever hold her like this, no one would ever emit this magical feeling from her again, and that scared the crap out of her. What if she ended up an alcoholic shut-in just like her mother, only leaving the house to fuck and party?

Before she could stop acting like a love-sick school girl on her own, the warmth of Heather was gone from her back. Heather turned off the music and turned back to Naya. She peeled her sweat pants away from her body, let them snap back into place, and said, “I think that’s good for tonight, what say you?”

Naya nodded, but the funny thing was that she didn’t feel like she’d been dancing for five and a half hours. “Yeah, I’m exhausted,” she lied, fanning herself. She was hot on Heather’s heels as the blonde climbed the basement stairs two at a time and headed straight for the refrigerator.

“Hungry?” She called from her bent over position. Naya hopped up on the counter and let her feet dangle.

“Starved.”

Heather rummaged desperately through the refrigerator’s contents. After a minute, she popped up grumpily. “April took the left over spaghetti,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “Of course she would.”

Naya smirked and picked at her fingernail. “Trouble in paradise?”

Heather huffed and slammed the door. “April can’t cook to save her life, so she always takes our food. Cow,” Heather said; the mirth shining in her eyes told Naya that she was, of course, joking about the insult. “Alright,” Heather continued, clapping her hands. “There is absolutely no food in this house.”

In answering protest, Naya’s stomach growled deeply. “None?” She palmed her abdomen.

Heather shrugged. “If you’re that hungry, I can drive you home or something.”

“No,” Naya said quickly. Heather’s eyebrows knitted together and Naya cleared her throat. “I mean…I’d just rather be anywhere but home.”

“Even here?” Heather smirked. “With me?”

Naya rolled her eyes. “Don’t get too excited,” she said. “Trust me, if you had my mom you’d feel the same way.” Her stomach rumbled again and Heather’s copied it. Truthfully, she was used to being hungry. She ate very small portions of breakfast and lunch, and no dinner at all, since her mother didn’t believe in the dependency of food any more. If Heather didn’t have food, she could honestly deal.

Heather bent at the waist slightly, as if she were listening to her stomach. “Oh, okay,” she said after a minute and two more growls. “That settles it. We’re getting food.”

Naya jumped off of the counter and followed Heather into the foyer. “Heather, it’s, like, one in the morning. Why don’t we just go to bed and you can do your grocery shopping later?” _Preferably when I’m not here_. Naya knew that, as hungry as she was, she could buy out an entire Wal-Mart grocery section in minutes, so grocery store? Bad idea.

Heather plucked a set of keys from the hook by the door and dropped them into Naya’s hands. “Hold these, please,” she said giddily before dashing up the stairs. She came down seconds later with a wallet and cell phone. “Ready?” She asked, even as she opened the door.

“But,” Naya began. “Where are we going? We’re not going to shower or anything?”

Heather laughed and made sure the front door was locked securely. “Where we’re going,” she said, leading Naya to the garage. “Whether or not you shower doesn’t really matter.”

Naya’s eyes widened, trying and failing to think of a place _that_ disgusting, as Heather led her into the garage, which appeared to be hand-built from the ground up. She chanced to ask, “Did your dad build this too?”

In the darkness, Naya could see Heather tense for a millisecond. “Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, he was really big into carpentry. Most of the furniture in the house – the kitchen table, the cabinets, the entertainment system, the end tables – was all made by him.”

They climbed into the Jeep and Naya couldn’t turn off her curiosity. “Did you help him?” She asked quietly.

Heather jammed the key into the ignition – a bit harder than necessary – and started the car. “Yeah,” she answered curtly. “All the time.”

“Did you-”

“Why do you want to know so much about my dad?” Heather snapped, anger blazing in her eyes. Naya withdrew, eyes shifting in confusion.

“I was just…I’m just curious and stuff,” she mumbled, clearly taken aback by Heather’s uncharacteristic outburst.

Heather’s white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel loosened and she let out a shaky breath. She was used to being angry, used to being hurt; she was not, however, used to being able to voice her anger. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I…I was very close to my dad. I don’t…it hurts to talk about him.”

Naya nodded. “Okay,” she whispered. “Okay. We won’t talk about him.”

Heather swiped a finger under her eye and used the remote to open the garage door behind them. “Thank you.”

They drove in silence. Naya wracked her brain for places that Heather could be taking her until, finally, they pulled into an empty McDonald’s parking lot. Naya cocked a worried eyebrow. “Seriously?” Heather grinned. “Heather, no.”

They circled around to the drive-thru speaker and a tired voice crackled through. Heather took the liberty of ordering two Big Macs, two large fries, and two large cokes, and when asked if she wanted to super-size the order, Naya could see the ‘what the hell’ pop into Heather’s head before she even confirmed it. “You said your mom’s a health freak, right?” Heather asked in response to the look Naya was sending her. “She won’t find out.”

“First off, I didn’t bring money with me,” Naya said, then lowered her voice. “And I don’t…I’ve never had fast food before, and I don’t really want to start eating it now.”

“First off,” Heather began. She drove up the window and handed a twenty dollar bill to an agitated, twenty-something-year-old man. “Keep the change.”

The man scoffed. “You owe me, Morris.”

Heather chuckled. “That’s why I said keep the change, moron. That’s, like, a fifteen dollar tip. That’s more than you make in a week, dude!” The window slammed shut, and Heather turned back to Naya. “First off, it’s my treat. Second, tonight, you’re getting your first taste of fast food.”

Naya swallowed and nodded to the man bagging their order behind the window. “You know him?”

“Yeah, that’s Taylor. He’s a resident at the hospital my mom works at,” Heather said with a dismissive wave. “He’s working here to, like, pay off med school or something. Anyways, he owned me a big favor, so I texted him when I went upstairs to get him to delay closing.”

Naya laughed loudly. “That sounds like something Mark and I would do as a prank!” Heather threw a smirk her way, telling Naya that she had done just that; prank Taylor on several occasions – which was probably why the dude was so pissy.

Taylor leaned out the window to hand Heather their order. He looked to Naya, then back to Heather, and winked suggestively. Heather shook her head disapprovingly at him and rolled her window up, narrowly missing Taylor’s nose. Heather handed the food to Naya and pulled onto the road.

“You’re an odd person,” Naya mused.

Heather reached over blindly and stole a fry. “Is that so?”

“Well. Maybe ‘odd’ is the wrong word.” Naya tapped her chin. “More like mysterious.”

Heather scoffed. “Mysterious? How?”

“We’ve been in school together for nearly twelve years and I know, like, nothing about you.”

Heather turned and blinked at Naya. “Oh my god. You’re serious aren’t you?” Naya nodded and Heather laughed. “Are you that dense?”

Despite herself, Naya threw her head back and laughed. “I just mean, you’d think I’d at least know your middle name.”

“You were too busy being mean to me, you jerk.” Naya laughed again. “The less you reveal the more people wonder.” Heather took her hands off of the wheel long enough to mimic jazz hands and Naya clucked her tongue.

“Is that anyway to live your life?” She joked. “Shrouded in mystery?”

“Hey, it’s worked for me so far,” Heather said with an affectionate smile. She brought the car to a stop at a red light. "Elizabeth."

"What?"

"My middle name," Heather explained. "Elizabeth."

Naya smiled. "Heather Elizabeth," she said, letting the name roll off of her tongue. "Hm. Nice flow, good sound; I approve."

Heather snorted. "Yeah, thanks for that."

Naya smiled again. "It must be nice to have a mom who loves you enough to give you her name."

"Naya," Heather soothed. "I'm sure your mom loves you. I'm sure it's hard to love someone when you feel so unloved yourself. I recall you telling me that your dad left. Have you talked to him since he left?"

"Twice, and not on good terms," Naya answered shortly. "Can we talk about something else? I don't like talking about him either." She knew that Heather would understand.

Heather smiled. "Done."

\-----

"This," Naya said around a gag, throwing her Big Mac back into the box. "Is disgusting. Why did I let you talk me into trying that?"

Heather grinned at her and stuffed a handful of fries into her mouth. "You know you love it."

"Ew, no, please swallow," Naya said, and when Heather grinned, she added, "And do _not_ say 'that's what she said'." Heather shrugged and tore into her Big Mac again. "Ugh. It looked so much better in the picture." Naya pouted as she looked at the burger, which was more bun and lettuce than anything else.

"Yeah," Heather agreed slowly. She let her own burger drop. "Most food usually looks better in pictures."

"Why did you do this to me?"

"We could have gone to the store and bought stuff to make waffles, but _noooo_ ," Heather teased and Naya threw a fry at her.

"Shut up," Naya said. "I didn't want to go grocery shopping with you like we're married or something, sue me."

"Maybe I will." Heather glanced at the clock. "Ready to hit the hay; it's almost two o'clock."

Naya pushed her food away. "Yuck. Anything is better than this."

"Well, I mean, you could always go home if _anything_ is better."

"Don't even joke about that," Naya said seriously, pointing a finger.

They threw their still-full food containers in the trash and trudged up the stairs to Heather's room ("Seriously, you have a dance studio in your house but not an elevator?!"). They dressed for bed – Heather in the bathroom, Naya in Heather's room – and then climbed in.

Naya stared up at the ceiling, wishing that she could finally take a long look around the room. She and Heather were on good terms, and the more Naya learned about her, the less she wanted to tease Heather (at least hurtfully). Heather had an intriguing, playful air about her, one that had Naya just dying to know more and more about her. "Hey, Heather?" She whispered.

"Yeah?" Heather asked, obviously fighting sleep.

"Thanks for dinner."

When Heather replied, Naya could clearly hear the smile in her voice. "Anytime, Naya."

\-----

The rest of the weekend flew by uneventfully. On Sunday, they began to talk about the dance Naya would have to do for her exam; Heather still needed to check with Ms. Mays about the specifications so that they were all clear. They didn't do much dancing, and at noon they settled in the den to co-annihilate Zombies on the X-Box.

Around eight o'clock, Naya decided that, while she really didn't want to, she had to go home; Heather offered her bed again, plus a free ride to school the following morning if her mother was really _that_ bad.

"As much as I prefer anything and everything over home," Naya said, dropping her controller. "My mom is a freak. I think it'd be best if I went home."

Something akin to disappointment shone in Heather's eyes. "Well, do you want me to drive you home?"

Naya smiled. "That would be nice." She rose, gathered her things, and they headed for the garage. Between Naya's directions, they made small talk, mostly about school (work and teachers and the creepy janitor in B-wing); the one thing that was mutually understood to keep unspoken was their new-found relationship and all things associated with it.

It was terrifying, Naya thought, to think that the dynamic that she had with Heather had changed so suddenly. She had gone from hating everything that Heather stood for to, literally in the blink of an eye, wanting nothing more than to spend every minute with the blonde, learning everything about her, delving into her past.

Imagine how shocked she was when she realized that she didn't want this information to harm Heather. She just wanted to know. Anything to get Heather to talk; that was all she wanted.

All too soon for Naya's taste, Heather put the car in park in front of her house. The blonde surveyed the front of the house. "Looks like no one's home."

Naya scoffed and unlatched her seatbelt. "She's either still out partying," she said. She reached into the backseat to grab her things. "Or she's already passed out. Neither of those would be a bad thing."

Heather's face contorted with concern. "Is it really that bad?" She asked. "I mean…" She trailed off and ran her finger tips through the key chains hanging from the ignition.

Naya took Heather's hand to stop the jingling. "Thank you for the ride," she said, purposefully ignoring Heather's question, because, yes, it was that bad (Naya wondered how her mom thought that she was going to stay skinny the way she drank and carried on, especially when she was sleeping more and more because of her hangovers). "I really appreciate it." And before she knew what she was doing, before she could stop herself or ask why or how the thought had entered her brain, Naya leaned over the center console to press a firm kiss against Heather's lips. Heather inhaled sharply through her nose, and when Naya pulled back, her eyes were comically wide. The confidence that had radiated from Heather the entire weekend was gone, and she was left sputtering unintelligently.

Before she could do something stupid like apologize or take it back, Naya jumped out of the Jeep without another word and stalked up to her house on wobbly legs, never once looking back. Once inside, shrouded in darkness, Naya leaned against the door and touched her lips. She took deep breaths to calm her pounding heart and she could vaguely hear the Jeep peel away.

In her eighteen years of existence, Naya had done more stupid things than she could count on her fingers and toes combined, but kissing Heather? That shit earned a spot at numero uno, the dumbest thing that she could have ever done. And there were bigger problems than Heather being the biggest fucking nerd _ever_. Now, Heather could really fucking _ruin_ her. How could she be so stupid?

"Bet you liked that," a slurred voice rose from the living room to her left.

Naya rolled her eyes. _Bitch would be home now_. "Go back to sleep, mother."

"Who is she?" Heavy footsteps followed the voice. "That dyke you kissed…who is she?"

Naya rubbed her forehead and hurried up the stairs. "Don't start with me, woman." After having such an amazing weekend, Naya knew she should have expected something to ruin it. Her mother had a way of bringing her down, of trampling all over her pride and self-worth, and her homophobic slurs against Heather? Naya knew that that was just the thing to make her flip her shit. "I am not in the mood."

Ms. Rivera, leaning heavily against the banister, stumbled up the stairs after her. "You get your ass back down here, young lady. I'm not…I'm not finished with you."

Naya dropped her bag on the floor beside her bed and whirled to watch her mom stagger. "Well, too bad, because I'm finished with you, mom. Who was it this time? Raul? Julian? Jerry? Or…" Naya shuddered. "Iqbal?"

"You shut your mouth," Ms. Rivera warned. "You don't know me!"

Naya scoffed. "Not my fault. But, you're right, I don't know you." She kicked her bag with the toe of her shoe before pushing past her mother to get to the bathroom. "But honestly, with each passing day, I'm glad I don't know you. It's not that big of a loss for me. Because you really suck."

"You never-" Ms. Rivera stopped as she stumbled. She caught herself on the door jamb and continued. "You never answered my question."

Naya looked at her in the mirror. "There was a reason for that," she said. She ran a clean cloth under the cold water flowing from the faucet. "Maybe you should let it go."

"Who was the dyke?" Ms. Rivera slurred. Naya pressed the cold rag to her face, trying to calm herself down. It was nights like this that she missed her dad the most. He had always been there to chase away the monsters in the dark, to hold her when she was scared. And now here she was, scared and facing the biggest monster of them all. Alone.

It just wasn't fair.

"Mom," Naya seethed. "Heather's not gay. So drop it."

"But," her mother said sharply. "You are." Naya felt her face flush and she tried to stay calm, collected. "Aren’t you?" Her mother was beginning to sound more and more sober, and Naya knew that now was the perfect time to start being afraid.

"Just go to bed." She tried to push past, but the woman blocked the door. "Mom, you reek of booze. Go. To. Bed."

“Why did you kiss that whore?”

Naya’s blood boiled, but the kept her voice level. “You’re drunk. I’m not having this conversation with you now.”

Ms. Rivera stumbled back. “My daughter is a lesbian,” she wailed, throwing her hands up. Naya took the initiative and bolted to her room. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was getting ready to happen. “I’ve failed as a parent!”

_Well, yeah you did_ , Naya wanted to say. _But that’s not why I’m gay_. She slammed her door shut and locked it just as Ms. Rivera fell against it. “You’re being dramatic. Go to bed!” Her mother pounded on the door. “Just go to sleep!”

“Naya Rivera open this door!”

“No! Go to bed!”

Naya fingers threaded tightly through her hair as her mother beat on the door relentlessly. This was something that she could not deal with tonight. Too much of her brain space was occupied by Heather; she couldn’t worry about coming out, too. Warily, she eyed the full dufflebag near her closet door. Filled with all of her necessities, Naya had packed the bag in January, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, just in case; she never thought she’d actually have to use it.

The thumping on her door ceased; before she could heave a relieved sigh, the tell-tale rattling of the key in the lock knocked the wind from her.

Even at her most intoxicated, her mother had never come for her like this. Tonight was so very different than any other night; Naya eyed the bag again.

The door swung open, slamming against the wall, the key still jammed in the lock, and Ms. Rivera looked like she was minutes, maybe seconds from passing out. Naya wished she would hurry up and do just that. Naya stood up to her full height, preparing herself to throwdown if needed. “I won’t have it in my house.” She took a wobbly step forward. “I _won’t_ have _that_ in my home!”

“Oh,” Naya said, adding in her own special brand of attitude and holding up a finger. “Oh, okay, but you’ll have alcohol, drugs, and nameless, sketchy men into your home? Yeah, great parenting-”

The stinging in her cheek came before she even knew what hit her, and she was sitting sideways on the floor cradling her cheek as her mother tried to regain the balance that the force that she had exerted stole from her. Naya’s eyes welled with tears; her right cheek tingled unpleasantly. She’d been spanked as a child (like most mischievous children of the generation), but no one had ever fucking _backhanded_ her.

(Under different circumstances, Naya knew that she would be impressed with her mom’s strength and her powerful swing.)

Ms. Rivera shook her hand as she stared down at Naya. “Get out,” she slurred. “I won’t have that sinful, disgusting behavior or your blasphemous language against me; I am your _mother_! I want you out of my home!”

Naya had to chuckle. This woman backhanded her, kicked her out, sent her out to defend herself in the world with absolutely no means to do so, yet she had the downright nerve to call herself a mother?

Naya rolled her shoulders and rose on Jello legs. She looked the woman in the eye. “Fine,” she hissed. “You want me gone? Fine. I will gladly leave.” She backed up, never taking her eyes off of the monster in front of her, and grabbed her emergency bag from the floor. “But just know this: you’re no mother. You haven’t been a mother since I was eleven. You didn’t need dad to be strong.” Naya swallowed a sob. “But I needed a mother. And you weren’t there. So, yeah…I’ll gladly leave.”

Naya shouldered past the woman who had given birth to her and raced down the stairs before her sobs could rip from her.

\-----

Heather threw her keys on the table by the door and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Her brain, which was usually so organized and in control, was one gigantic clusterfuck of emotion, all centered on Naya. Things were so much simpler when the other girl seemed to just loathe Heather's existence; at least then Heather knew exactly what was going through Naya's head.

Heather pulled off her jacket, draped it over the banister, and trudged up the stairs. It was barely eight thirty, but she was surprisingly exhausted.

Lost in thought and half-way to her room, Heather tripped over Zack Morris and he mrrped angrily in response. "Sorry, Zacky!" She called to the cat's retreating tail before deciding to detour to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Heather pondered what could have possessed Naya to kiss her as hot water rained down on her face. Maybe she was just thankful that Heather had decided to entertain her for the weekend. Or perhaps she had been feeling extra grateful that Heather had decided to forgive her, to give her a second chance. Or maybe she…no, Heather told herself. There was no way Naya could be feeling _that_.

Either way, now Heather didn't know what to think. Naya had always been confusing, had always kept Heather guessing and wondering what her next move would be, but this was just ridiculous.

Heather knew that she shouldn't let Naya get to her that way that she did, no matter how she did it, but there was something about Naya. It burrowed under her skin, in the crevices of her brain, and no matter what Heather did, she couldn't shake herself of _Naya_.

Heather stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and dressed in clean sweats and a tank top. She ran a brush through her wet locks, deciding to let them air dry, and dutifully put on her thick-rimmed glasses. She stared at herself in the mirror, contemplating the specs. Heather found herself wondering if Naya liked her better with or without them. Then, she shook her head.

Since when did she start caring what Naya, of all people, thought about her glasses?

She wandered back to her bedroom, picked a book off of the shelf, and settled under her blankets for the night.

That is, until her doorbell rang. Heather threw her head back against her pillow in agitation. There were only really two possibilities of who could be on the reverse side of her front door. If Lea wanted late night homework help, Heather was going to be pissed; if Dianna wanted to threaten her again, Heather figured she'd probably choose to live out the rest of her miserable days under a fucking rock.

Heather thumped down the stairs, kicked Zack Morris away from the door, and opened it cautiously.

Seeing Naya on the other side, face tear stained and a duffle bag in hand, sent an unpleasant jolt right through her bellybutton, but before she could bombard Naya with questions, the other girl spoke.

"I knew it would happen eventually," Naya rasped, attempting a smile. She held her bag up briefly. "I mean, I've been packed for months. But having it actually happen…hearing her say it…"

"Naya-"

"I just didn't know where else to go." A painful sob ripped from Naya's body. She dropped her bag and her legs gave out and Heather was right there to catch her, to pull her in and hold firmly. Naya fisted her hands in Heather's shirt and she buried her face in Heather's chest as she let go. Her tears soaked Heather's shirt in seconds, and when she gasped for air, she only sobbed harder.

Heather used one hand to rub circles on Naya's back while the other tangled in black hair. She pulled Naya inside and kicked the door shut, allowing Naya to collapse with her in the safety of the foyer when her brain finally told her that Naya needed to sit for a bit.

"Shh," she cooed, rocking Naya in her lap. "You're okay now. You're okay." Naya whined pitifully, attracting the attention of Zack, who sniffed and licked her face. Heather nudged him away. "You're going to stay here, okay?"

Naya shook her head, but snuggled closer. "I can't."

Despite the situation, Heather giggled. "Give me one good reason."

Naya sobbed again and, for a moment, Heather panicked. "I've been terrible to you. I can't ask you to do that."

Heather released a bitter laugh, deciding to not point out that Naya did come here on her own accord. "C'mon." She helped Naya stand and plucked the girl's bag from the floor. "Let's get you cleaned up." She took Naya by the hand and led her up the stairs.

She dropped the bag by her bedroom door and pulled Naya into the bathroom. She ran a clean cloth under cool water. Then, she cupped Naya's neck with one hand, happy that Naya didn't flinch or shy away, and wiped under Naya's eyes and on the rounds of her cheeks, touching up when more tears fell from brown orbs. Finally, she smiled and tossed the cloth into the hamper, realizing that, right now, it was a lost cause.

Naya closed her eyes and Heather took the opportunity to lay her forehead against Naya's, marveling at the other's sharp intake of breath. "You're going to get through this. It may not seem like it now…but I'm here, Mark's there for you, and…" Heather swallowed. "Dianna's there for you. And you're staying here. At least until you can work something else out."

"I-"

"I don't want you roaming the streets," Heather insisted. "Not at this time of night."

Naya nodded and Heather pulled away. "Thank you."

"Get in your pajamas," Heather whispered. "Tomorrow and Tuesday, you'll stay here. If you can't, or don't want to, find something else…we'll talk to my mom Tuesday night when she gets home. Okay?"

Naya nodded again and took the clothes that Heather handed to her. "You don't have to do this." She wiped her cheek on her sleeve. "You can tell me to get out, too."

Heather heaved a tired sigh, sick of going in circles with the other girl. She placed a hand on Naya's shoulder and trailed her fingertips down to Naya's elbow. "I know," she said. "But I'm not. I won't."

The door snapped shut and Naya collapsed onto the toilet. With shaking hands, she retrieved her cell phone and sent a quick message to Mark so that he would know to not worry about picking her up in the morning. When she stopped to think about it, Naya didn't know why she'd gone straight to Heather instead of Mark, her best friend. She was closer to Mark; she wasn't conflicted about her very platonic feelings for him, or his very platonic feelings for her. It would have been easier on her. They were a power duo, best lesbros, yet she'd run straight to Heather.

Naya pulled on her pants and a tank top and headed back to Heather's room. The blonde was already under the blanket on her side of the bed reading a book in true Heather fashion, and Naya's side of the bed was made up, waiting for her.

It almost made Naya smile.

She pulled back the blanket and forced herself into the bed, turning on her side to face away from Heather. She heard Heather close her book, turn off her light, and throw her blanket to the floor. Before she could question it, Heather slipped behind her and pressed against her back. Arms wound around her waist and Naya sobbed again.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked. "You're tutoring me, you bought me dinner, you're letting me stay here…"

A kiss was dropped onto her shoulder.

"Because you deserve it." Naya shook her head, but Heather continued. "Can I ask you something?"

Naya's stomach knotted, preparing for a barrage of questions about her home life, her sexuality, her _feelings_ , but what came out of Heather's mouth was a surprise.

"How does Dianna know where I live?"

"I…" Naya scrunched up her face and pulled Heather's arms around her tighter. "I didn't know that she did."

Heather nuzzled her hair, right beside her ear. "Then, yeah," she whispered. "You deserve it."


	8. Chapter 8

Her face felt gross. And her bed was harder, yet strangely more comfortable, than it was when she fell asleep.

Naya knew she'd been crying, she did, but she could not figure out why. She tried and failed to open her eyes, so she settled for lying still on her hard yet comfortable bed, trying to figure out why she'd been crying. She knew by the ache her legs that she had danced all weekend. She remembered Heather taking her home. She remembered leaning over the center console of the jeep and… _oh_.

_Oh_.

Right. Homeless. The state of her residential status now rested in the hands of Liz and Heather fucking Morris. Speaking of…

Holy crap…the bed was moving, shifting. No, scratch that, the bed underneath Naya was fucking _breathing_.

Naya's eyes popped open. It was still fairly dark out, but the lighting was just bright enough for Naya to make out the outline of Heather. Under her. Naya exhaled. Sometime in the night, she and Heather had shifted; now, Naya was half on top of Heather, their legs so tangled that Naya was actually afraid to move for fear of snapping bones or something, and one of Heather's hands was buried deep in Naya's hair.

Naya gulped; Heather stirred. Naya rose and experimentally twisted her legs. _Shit_. She couldn't even tell which fucking legs were hers. _Shit_. The hand in her hair dropped and trailed lazily down her back, leaving goosebumps on Naya's skin, to plop lightly on the mattress behind her. Heather stirred again. _Goddam_ -.

"Mornin'," Heather muttered, shifting her legs enough for Naya to wiggle free. She blinked sleepily, and a knowing pink tinge colored her cheeks.

"Yeah, uh." Naya coughed and slid farther away from Heather. "Morning."

They were silent. Heather stretched, working the kinks from her muscles. Naya averted her eyes, hoping Heather was content with the silence, and pulled her knees to her chest. After several grunts and content sighs, Heather's fingers found Naya's hip, making Naya jump. "It'll be okay."

If she was hoping to comfort Naya…well, Naya thought that she had been doing a better job by keeping her mouth shut. Once the words had passed her lips, Naya's tears began anew.

"Naya," Heather whispered, crawling closer. "I'm sorry, I-"

Naya pushed her away and stood quickly. "Just…leave me alone, okay?"

"Naya, I just-"

"Look," Naya snapped. "You really can't help until you can tell me why this happened to me. Why I was born to parents who don't love me, who don't want me."

"You know that's not true."

"Yeah, well." Naya sniffed. "It's their loss. I'm going to leave this dumpy town; make something of myself. Find someone who wants and loves me."

"You have Mark," Heather offered, and Naya scoffed. Heather knew that story, apparently, so _not_ helping. "And Dianna."

Naya laughed loudly, bitterly, as she began to gather clothes to wear after her shower. Dianna was her friend, sure, and she loved her, but really all Dianna was good for was for teasing people. She never seemed to be around when it counted, always too busy seeking out that Lea girl.

Heather twiddled her thumbs. "You have me," she whispered. Naya stopped abruptly and stared at Heather. Heather had never been any good with the convey-your-emotions-through-your-eyes-on-purpose thing (the puppy dog pout had failed to work on her mom, and had even gotten her into even more trouble when she was younger), but as she held eye contact with Naya, she tried to tell her, wordlessly, how serious she was. That she was there as long as Naya needed her, plus overtime if Naya wanted that too.

Finally, Naya rubbed her eyes and stalked to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Heather sighed. _One step forward, two steps back_.

\-----

"Just drop me off around the corner."

Heather cringed. "I mean…I know I'm not your favorite person or whatever, but-"

Naya scoffed, halting Heather's words. "Get over yourself. I'm not embarrassed to be seen with you." She took the strap of her bag in her hand and unbuckled her seatbelt as Heather pulled the jeep over, and then climbed out without another word.

Naya watched Heather drive away. She knew she wasn't being fair to Heather. The girl had offered her temporary, possibly permanent, shelter, and Naya was thankful, really she was. But the shock and sadness from the previous night had given way to burning rage.

At the moment, anger was the only emotion Naya was capable of feeling. She'd make it up to Heather later.

Naya trudged through the parking lot. Mark was just getting out of his car, so she sidled up beside of him and took his hand (mainly for the comfort, but it was also what was expected of them).

"Hey," he drawled, taking his hand from hers to slip his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. "So, you gonna let me in on why you didn't need a ride this morning?" He asked suggestively, adding a wink when she scowled at him.

She looked around to make sure no one would be able to hear them before knocking Mark's arm from her shoulders. "She knows," she said lowly.

"Who knows what?"

"Mrs. Claus knows Santa had an affair," Naya snapped sarcastically. Mark's eyes grew wide and Naya slapped his arm. "You idiot. My mom knows I'm gay."

"Oh, right." Mark looked crestfallen. "That."

"Yeah. _That_." Naya scuffed the toe of her shoe across the pavement. "And she kicked me out." Mark's eyes snapped from the ground to Naya. "I'm living with Heather for now."

"Bow chicka wow wow."

"Shut up," Naya said. "Why do I even tell you anything?"

"You love me," Mark said like it was the most obvious thing ever. "In all seriousness…I'm here. You know that. Honestly, you'll be better off not living with that hag." Naya's eyes looked everywhere but at Mark. Sure, her mom was psycho, but…she was her _mom_ , the woman who had raised her. "I'm sorry…but…things happen for a reason."

"Yeah," Naya said reluctantly. "I guess you're right." She looked back up to him. He looked sad, like he wanted to say something, but before she could tell him to spit it out, he went ahead.

"So…is it over?" He sounded hopeful, but also sad. They'd been bearding for each other for as long as Naya could remember; maybe it was time to let go. This wasn't fair to Mark, knowing that he was finally gathering the courage to talk to Chris.

"Yeah," Naya said. "We have no real need anymore."

"Your rep-"

"Will be fine until June," Naya insisted. Chris, Lea, and Jenna passed by, discreetly cowering, but Naya could see the way Chris' eyes stayed on Mark, and how Mark stared after them, even after they had disappeared into the crowd. "Go get your man, stud."

"I don't know…"

Naya wanted to be angry. So much of her life was shifting - again. All of this was just like her father leaving all over again. But she couldn't be. Mark had been in love with Chris for as long as she had been in love with Heather. What kind of person would she be if she kept her best friend from the happiness that he deserved?

She looked back to Mark, knowing that the tears glistening in his eyes matched her own perfectly. They weren't dating. They did, though, for a month back in seventh grade. But in no way had she ever been _in_ love with him. They'd been best friends since before they could walk; they had grown closer because of their similar love predicament. They had been each other's first kiss, each other's first time, just so both would be special like it was supposed to be. They weren't 'breaking up', not really, but losing Mark like this almost felt like she was losing another piece of her life. She fell into his open arms and held tight.

"If you still want a beard," Mark whispered. "Chord's available at the moment. I hear he's big into the beard game." Naya smiled at Mark's crack against Dianna's sexuality and nodded.

Of course, she had absolutely no intention of talking to Chord, but it was the thought that counted. People milled around them and Naya hid her face in Mark's muscle shirt and sobbed. Everything was changing, and while she knew it would, she didn't know that it'd all be so fast, so close together.

"We were best friends before all of this and nothing about that is going to change," Mark assured her. She nodded again, because really she couldn't fully let Mark go even if she wanted to. "Just think…this entire thing brought us closer." He waited until they were mostly alone before he let her pull away. She wiped her face with her hands and Mark bumped her chin with his fist.

"Just do me a favor."

"Anything."

"Tell Chris how you feel," Naya said seriously. "One of us deserves to leave high school happy. One of us deserves to get what we want."

"Look," Mark said. "If I tell Chris, you have to-"

"Oh, no," Naya interrupted. "No. I know where you're going with that. Absolutely not. I'm not telling her a thing."

Mark laughed and threw his arm around her again. "We both deserve to come out of high school happy. Just give it some thought."

\-----

Heather pushed her glasses up her nose and rifled through her locker, releasing an irritated sigh.

She knew that Naya was upset about being kicked out. But it really stung that she didn't want to be seen coming to school with Heather. 

But Heather supposed she was in no place to judge; she had a home, a mother and sister who loved every aspect of her, and she, unlike Naya, wasn't being tutored by a girl whom she'd tortured throughout school in order to graduate. Looking from that perspective, Heather thought her life wasn't really as bad as she once thought it was.

Then again, she could easily sympathize with Naya. She'd lost her father and she'd gone through her rebellion phase because of it (she didn't regret it; she'd gotten a neat piercing that had caused a noticeable change in Harry's pants when she'd shown him and two tattoos that she was more than proud to say were dedicated to her father's memory). But Naya seemed to be stuck in her rebellion phase, like she wasn't quite sure how to break away from it.

Heather wasn't 100% sure of the details, but she would have bet every penny she had that Naya's mother had seen Naya kiss her in the jeep. From what she had been told about the old bat, Heather guessed that something like that wouldn't have gone over well with her.

And while Naya had kissed her out of the blue, Heather couldn't help but feel guilty. She could have easily stopped Naya, but she hadn't. In a way, she thought, this was partially her fault.

Before she could delve into thinking about exactly why she hadn't pushed Naya away, a forceful hand reached over her shoulder and slammed her locker closed, just barely missing her retreating fingertips. Heather squeezed her eyes closed tightly, willing her tears away. She'd thought she and Naya were past this. She'd thought that, even if they weren't technically friends, the harassment would stop. Heather opened her mouth to quietly, pathetically ask what Naya wanted, but the voice that interrupted her was not Naya's.

"Have you talked to Naya yet?"

Heather spun around and swallowed. "I…" What was she supposed to say? Did Naya want her to tell Dianna that their tutoring sessions had started again? There were so many what if's, so many ways that this could end badly for Heather.

"It's not that hard of a question, nerd," Dianna seethed. She seemed to be in an especially bad mood and Heather set her jaw, preparing herself. How come she could stand up for herself in her home, but she always swallowed her tongue at school?

"I…" Heather, for the first time in her life, wished Naya would conveniently insert herself into this conversation. Maybe then Heather would know what to say.

Dianna, seeming to have finally lost her patience, ripped Heather's glasses from her face. Heather gasped, thinking Dianna had finally snapped and was going to beat her face in; instead, Dianna threw the spectacles on the floor and stomped on them with her green and white cheerleading Nike.

Heather stared open mouthed at the floor, her vision now dramatically more blurry. Those glasses had been new, only a couple of months old. Not to mention Heather really liked them (they were a good shape, lightweight, and her shitty, poor excuse of an eye doctor had _finally_ gotten the prescription perfect).

"Make sure you handle it," Dianna spit. "By the end of the day."

If Heather were a different person, she would have chased after Dianna as she walked away. She would have demanded that Dianna pay for the glasses that she had so heartlessly broken. Heather bent down and plucked her cracked black frames, the only whole piece left, from the mess of glass on the floor. The fact was that Heather wasn't a different person. She was the school nerd.

And she was destined to have this happen to her.

\-----

"You are a _terrible_ person!"

Dianna scoffed and pulled her Chemistry book from her locker. "What do you want, dwarf? I've got important things to do today, and I don't need you yapping at my ankles."

"I saw what you just did to Heather!" Lea exclaimed. "You're reaching levels of low that I didn't even know existed, Dianna Agron!"

"Oh, yeah?" Dianna slammed her locker door. "And what are you gonna do about it, runt?" She looked Lea up and down.

"Dianna…" Lea swallowed. Dianna's gaze made her nervous, as usual, but she fought through it. "I know you. Okay? You're better than this." Dianna froze, and for a moment Lea saw the Dianna from freshman year, the one who had picked her up before gathering her books for her and telling her that she'd be okay, that the senior that had sent her sprawling was just a jerk and didn't personify high school in it's entirety. Lea saw the Dianna that she loved and missed. "I know you can be a better person."

Dianna was clearly torn between repenting her evil ways and fleeing from Lea. She settled on a smirk, the old Dianna disappearing, and a dangerous whisper. "I'll just have to prove you wrong then."

Lea didn't have time to contemplate the severity of Dianna's words; Heather was staring down at her mangled glasses and looking more heartbroken than Lea had ever seen her. She rushed to Heather's side, but she wasn't expecting the words that tumbled from the blonde's lips.

"Help me find Naya."

"I…what?"

Heather looked up from what was once her glasses. She squinted. The world around her was fuzzy now. There was no way she'd make it the rest of the day. "Help me find Naya," she repeated. "Please."

Though Lea didn't understand why, she knew Heather must have a good reason for needing Naya. She took Heather by the arm and they pushed through the crowd, getting slammed against the lockers on more than one instance, until she was standing in front of Naya's locker.

Naya frowned but didn't say anything, so Lea pushed Heather closer. "Heather wanted to talk to you."

"Thanks, Lea," Heather mumbled as Lea walked away.

Naya could see that Heather was upset and, despite her horrid mood, she couldn't help but be concerned. "What's wrong? And where are your glasses?"

Heather held up what was left of her glasses. "I dropped my glasses," she lied.

"Jesus Christ, Heather," Naya exclaimed, taking the mess from Heather's hand. "It looks like someone fucking stomped on them! What happened?"

Heather looked to the floor. "I was cleaning them," she said. "And I dropped them."

Naya narrowed her eyes. "Is that what really happened?"

Heather nodded and looked back to Naya. Naya didn't buy it. If Heather had merely dropped her glasses, there was no way she'd be as upset as she was. But Naya knew that she had to take a deep breath, count backwards from ten, and let it go because Heather obviously didn't want to talk about it right now. "Can you maybe go back to my house and get my contacts? I know it's a lot to ask, but…"

"Yeah," Naya said. She knew her reputation would be seriously dented after this, but she didn't care. Even she wouldn't have stooped so low as to break Heather's glass on purpose. "Let's go find Mark. He can drive us."

"No," Heather said. She pulled her car keys from her pocket and laid them in Naya's open hand. "We can take my car and be there and back before the late bell rings."

Naya spied Chris and Mark down the hallway, chatting and laughing flirtatiously without a care, and she figured it was best to let her best friend be. "You don't mind ditching school?"

"Naya," Heather said desperately, and something about her name on Heather's lips, the way the blonde had said it, sent chills up and down Naya's spine. "I can't see. I need my contacts or I won't make it out of school alive today."

Naya snorted and took Heather's bicep in her hand to carefully lead her through the crowd. Naya tried to ignore the looks that were thrown their way. Was the school bully leading the school nerd through the halls, helping her like they'd been friends their entire lives? _Apparently_ , Naya thought with an eye roll. _People can't change_. The longer Naya held onto Heather's elbow, the quieter it got.

Heather leaned over to whisper in Naya's ear. "Why'd it get so quiet?"

"Because people obviously have never seen someone help a friend before," Naya spat loudly. Everyone gasped, making Heather jump. "Stop leering! Rude." Everyone's heads snapped down and normal activity resumed.

Once they broke through the double doors, the warm sunlight beating down on them, Naya sidled closer to Heather. "Don't be upset, alright? We'll get your contacts and you'll be fine." Heather nodded and looked away.

"Did you mean it?" She asked. "That we're friends."

Naya lead Heather to the passenger seat of the jeep, and then climbed into the driver's seat. "Yeah," she said quietly, brushing the question off. She knew they would probably get in trouble for leaving school, even though the bell hadn't rung yet, but they had a pretty legitimate reason in Naya's opinion.

They drove in tense silence. Naya was worried about Heather. Yeah, she'd been snappy towards the blonde earlier, but Naya didn't think that warranted such painful silence. "Heather, there's something you're not telling me."

Heather looked at Naya, squinting desperately to focus. "I dropped my glasses," she said impatiently. "Why can't you let it go?"

"Because you're lying."

"How do you know?" Heather challenged. "You weren't there."

_Whoa_. Heather's tone had suddenly turned accusatory. That was never a good sign. "Look," Naya said, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "All I know is that most people don't get this upset when they drop and break their glasses." Naya left out the fact that a five foot drop would not mangle even the most fragile glasses so severely. "So either you didn't just drop your glasses, or something completely irrelevant to the glasses situation happened. Pick your poison."

Heather crossed her arms and tried to stare out the window. "It's just been a bad morning."

"We were barely at school for twenty minutes!" Naya yelled, momentarily forgetting that this was _Heather_ , fragile, nerdy insult magnet. "I'm sorry," she amended. "I don't mean to push…you haven't looked this upset since Friday when Di and I-"

"Naya, I'm fine."

Naya bit her lip and decided to change the subject. "I'm hanging out with Dianna after school," she said. "I won't be back until around seven."

"Okay," Heather mumbled. "I'm going to try and talk to Ms. Mays today to get the specifics on your exam."

Naya nodded. "Cool beans."

\-----

It wasn't that Naya hated lying to Heather. It was just…

Yeah, okay, Naya hated lying to Heather.

All Naya knew was that it was nearly 6:30 and she was sitting in Dianna's car on their way to Mark's. She didn't really want to hang out with either today, but she hadn't been able to say no when Dianna had approached her at lunch, and she needed Mark to drive her home; she wasn't ready for Dianna to know the situation.

"So," Dianna said, trying to make casual conversation with Naya, who was extremely cranky. "Has the nerd taken you back on yet?"

Naya figured it couldn't hurt to tell Dianna that much. "Oh, yeah. Yeah. She was really cool about it, too."

"You're welcome," Dianna muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Congratulations."

"Oh. Yeah, thanks." Then, Naya remembered what Heather had asked her the night before. "Hey, I meant to ask you…how do you know where Heather lives?" Naya knew that Heather liked to keep things like her address and her phone number on a strict need-to-know-unless-you're-Lea-Chris-or-Harry basis.

"Wh…what?" Dianna's eyes darted from the road to Naya and back again nervously. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh." Now Naya felt slightly dumb. "That's odd." They pulled into Mark's driveway. "She asked me how you knew. I just figured…" She trailed off.

"Did she now?" Dianna asked.

"Yeah," Naya said. She unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of the car. She stuck her head into the open window. "But don't worry about it. I'll sort it out."

Dianna hummed in response. "Yeah. Hey, look, I've got some important stuff to do, so I gotta run."

"Um, okay?" Naya backed away from the car.

She watched as Dianna peeled out of the driveway, tires squealing. Dianna seemed to have a lot of 'important' things occupying her time lately, and Naya wasn't sure what to think of her friend anymore.

Naya shook her head and headed up to the house.

\-----

The address was burned into Dianna's memory.

She'd only been to Heather's once, but it was there, lurking in case she needed it again.

And she _did_ need it again.

She didn't bother to knock; the door was unlocked.

Heather, who had been lounging on the couch in the entertainment room, pigging out on junk food and watching movies, jumped up from the couch when the door slammed against the opposite wall. Her basketball shorts swished around her surprisingly toned legs as she ran into the foyer. Her socked feet skidded to a halt when she saw Dianna.

"What are you doing here?" Heather demanded, and the panic in her voice told Dianna that, this time, they were alone.

"Is this how you treat all of your guests?" Dianna sneered. "I just stopped by for a visit. A check up, you could say."

"You can't knock?"

Dianna was pissed, and she knew that it showed, so she actually had to commend Heather for her bravery. "No, I can't." She started forward, prompting Heather to back towards the banister, and stopped to speak. "I thought we had an unspoken agreement."

"What are you talking about?" Heather's heart raced. "I'm tutoring Naya again. That's what you wanted and you got it."

Dianna lunged forward and pinned Heather to the banister. "That's not what I'm talking about!" She barked. The color drained from Heather's cheeks.

Heather opened her mouth to speak, but could only emit a squeak. Dianna even _smelled_ angry and Heather knew that she'd spend the rest of her likely short life trying to figure out how Dianna managed to pull that off.

"You told Naya that I was here on Saturday," Dianna said lowly, her nose bumping Heather's.

"I…" Heather swallowed, wishing to just disappear. She'd never been in a fight; she fancied herself a lover, really. "I didn’t, I-"

"You asked Naya how I knew where you live." Dianna slammed her hand against the baluster closest to Heather's face. "Didn't you?"

Heather flinched and tried to slink away from Dianna's hand. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. She was alone. No one was going to casually walk in and save her this time. "I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to!"

Dianna took the straps of Heather's tank top in her hands and spun the taller girl around. When Heather, stumbling and unsteady because of her slick socks, wasn't against the banister anymore, Dianna shoved her chest hard, sending Heather down. Heather's feet slid out from under her and her back met the hardwood floor. "For someone with such a high IQ," Dianna said. Heather held her lower back and hissed in pain. There would definitely be a bruise. "You're not very smart."

"Dianna," Heather whined through gritted teeth. The front door was still open, and now would be the perfect time for her mom (or even Naya) to walk through it. "What do you want from me?"

Dianna towered over Heather's cowering frame. "I want you to suffer."

Heather gaped. "But I haven't _done_ anything!"

Dianna dropped to straddle Heather, and Heather fought against her. "You exist," Dianna grunted simply. "That's enough."

"God," Heather growled, struggling harder against the hands gripping at her as her brain told her that, holy shit, this was going to happen. She was actually going to be beaten to death _right here_. "Why do you always have to be such a bitch?"

It was, apparently, Dianna's straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back moment. She screeched, a god awful sound that sliced through the air and made Heather's hands fly to her ears. Dianna's hands left Heather's hair where they had been trying to gain control over the girl beneath her. One reclaimed Heather's tank top strap, the other drew back and balled into a fist.

Heather squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away as the fist hurtled towards it.

\-----

Mark's parents were surprised that he and Naya had 'broken up'.

They were not, however, surprised to find out that he was gay.

Apparently they'd known for ages, and were just waiting for him to admit it. And they were 100% okay with it.

"I hate you." Naya sulked in the passenger seat. Everyone had amazing parents. Everyone but her.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea they'd be so cool," Mark admitted. "I actually expected my pops to come at me or something."

"I just wish you would have waited until I was there," Naya said solemnly. "It would have been nice to witness some decent parenting for once." After the shipwreck that was her own impromptu coming out, Naya just needed to know that there were really open minded people.

Maybe it would restore her dwindling faith in humanity.

"I didn't even really mean to," Mark said. "I just…I wanted to be able to bring Chris to my house when the time came, you know?"

Mark pulled onto Heather's street, and Naya asked, "How are things with Colfer, then?"

A goofy smile split Mark's face. "They're really good actually. We-"

Naya held up a hand. "Ugh, okay _anything_ past that is gushing, and that's just gross."

Mark punched her shoulder. "Bitch."

"You love me."

"There's no proof of that." Mark turned into Heather's drive way and Naya sat up straighter. 

"Isn't that Dianna's car?"

"Considering that she's the only one in this town with a fuckin' Viper?" Mark asked rhetorically. "And the front door is wide open."

"Heather asked me," Naya said breathlessly. Mark threw the jeep into park and killed the engine. "She fucking asked me. Why didn't I realize? Shit, shit, shit!"

"Dianna asked me for the address," Mark said as they climbed out hurriedly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

They broke into a run as a primal screech pierced the air. Naya beat Mark to the porch and she took the steps two at a time. She could see Dianna, pinning Heather to the floor, raising her fist; Naya's heart pounded as she stood up.

She couldn't let this happen.

She had to stop Dianna.

Naya reached her just as her fist came down. Her hand wrapped around Dianna's wrist, her arm around Dianna's neck, and she hauled Dianna off of Heather and threw her to the floor.

Heather's eyes, shining with frightened tears, opened slowly as the weight of Dianna left her torso. They found Naya, and Heather allowed herself to breathe again.

Naya, however, was angry. From the corner of her eye, she could see Mark round her and gently pick Heather up so that she was standing on violently trembling legs. He pulled her to him and cradled her head to his chest as her tears finally fell, soaking his gray shirt.

"Dianna, what the fuck?" Naya spat as Dianna picked herself up off the floor. "What are you doing?"

"C'mon, Naya," Dianna insisted, gesturing wildly towards Heather with her hands. "She makes everyone miserable. You can't tell me you haven't wanted to fuck her face up!"

Naya gaped at Dianna; behind her, Heather's sob was muffled by Mark's chest.

"No, Dianna," Naya said, pointing her finger at Dianna. " _You_ make everyone miserable."

Mark snorted loudly, and Naya thought that she even heard Heather emit a small giggle.

"Naya, you-"

"No!" Naya yelled, stepping dangerously close to Dianna. "Yeah, okay, I hated her in the past, for reasons that half of the people in this room will not understand. But she's not _that_ bad."

"Naya," Mark warned softly. She held up a hand to tell him that she understood that she very nearly crossed a line there.

"Naya-"

"Shut the fuck up, Di," Naya hissed. "Do you even realize what she's doing for me? Do you?"

Naya could feel her anger bubbling, just under the surface, but no matter how loud she yelled, how hard her hands flailed, she didn't feel better. She was all for terrorizing people, but hurting them in their own home? There was a line, and Dianna had gunned her stupid Viper right through it.

"Nay-"

"My mother kicked me out last night." Her voice broke and she could feel her face heat up; whether it was residual mixed with new anger or embarrassment, Naya didn't know. Either way, she kept going. "She kicked me out, and after everything I've put Heather through, she offered to let me stay here! Not to mention she's trying to help me graduate!"

"Naya, you could have come to me," Dianna stressed, her face turning a bright red. " _I'm_ your best friend! And I offered to help you with dance!"

Naya scoffed. "Yeah, you who calls running around like a headless chicken dancing!"

"Excuse me?" Dianna gaped. "Watch your mouth or you'll never hold a pompom again, Rivera!"

"Do you really think I give a fuck about cheerleading, Dianna?" Both girls took a step forward, getting nose-to-nose. "The _only_ thing cheerleading was good for was getting me out of the house and away from my psychotic mother! I don't have to worry about that anymore, and there are plenty of other ways for me to get into college."

"I hear sleeping with the Dean of Admissions doesn't work too well these days."

A loud _thwack_ resonated, so intrusive in the quiet foyer that it made Mark, who had watched it happen, jump. Naya pushed Dianna, who was cradling her right eye, out the door.

"Get the fuck out, Dianna." Dianna stumbled down the steps, nearly face-planting on the last one, and turned to look at Naya. "You can't open your eyes. You can't see the good in people. And until you can grow up, you've lost the only real friend you've ever had."

Naya slammed the door, leaving Dianna in the dark, and took a deep breath. Punching Dianna had lifted her spirits a little, but there was still so much that needed to be said. She rounded on Mark and Heather. Mark was all but holding Heather up, and Heather was watching her with wide, wet eyes.

Naya pointed her finger at Heather harshly and approached quickly. "You," she said. Heather looked like all she wanted was for Mark to absorb her so she could disappear. "Why the fuck did you let her in?"

"Naya," Mark said. "I don't think-"

"Mark, go home."

"Naya-"

"Go. Home."

Mark pressed his lips into a thin line. He made sure that Heather could stand on her own before releasing her, and ventured over to wrap his hands around Naya's biceps. "You need to chill," he whispered. "It's not her fault that she was attacked."

Naya nodded curtly, and pulled away from him. "I'll call you."

Mark sighed and kissed her forehead.

She waited until the door had snapped shut to ask again.

"Why did you let her in?" Her voice was still unnecessarily loud, but she couldn't bring herself to care when Heather jumped.

Heather crossed her arms tighter. "I…I didn't. She didn't knock. She just came in."

"So you just left the door unlocked?" Heather nodded. "You do that on a regular basis, or…"

"I left it unlocked so you could get in," Heather said meekly. "In case you were going to be later than you said."

At the admission, Naya closed her eyes and tried to force herself to calm down. "Just…why didn't you fight her back?"

"She's strong and-"

"Oh, bullshit," Naya snapped. "So are you!" Heather's eyes darted and Naya could see that she was seconds from crying again. "You've lifted my fat ass off of the floor, I know you could have fought Dianna off of you!"

"You're not-"

"Not the point!"

"Why are you mad at me?" Heather asked weakly. "I didn't do anything."

"That's why I'm mad at you!" Naya yelled. "Dianna, a person that you know hates you, enters your house without permission and threatens to basically end you, and you don't. Do. Anything! What if she had had a knife? Or a gun? Huh?" Heather shrugged. "Fucking _stand up_ for yourself!" She strode over and violently shoved Heather against the wall. "C'mon, I know you've got some fight in you somewhere!"

Heather was finally getting angry, finally feeling the emotions that she should have felt when Dianna burst into her home unwelcomed, and a burst of pride filled Naya's chest.

"See?" Naya said, swinging and slapping Heather lightly on each of her cheeks. "You're gettin' mad now, huh? Yeah, you're gettin' real mad."

"Stop," Heather said. She tried to turn her head away, tried to shield her face and swat Naya's hands away, but they only sped up, slapping at Heather's face harder. Heather knew what Naya was trying to do, and as much as she didn't want to, she was quickly losing her temper. "Naya, stop." Naya only quickened her pace, panting heavily. By now, Heather was half crouching, shielding her head as best she could from the blows coming from all sides. Then, something in her snapped. Maybe it was the sting of the hits, or the quietly murmured 'pathetic' that she knew was intended to make her snap; whatever it was, Heather broke. She stood up straight and wrapped her hands around Naya's neck, driving her backwards and into the table behind her. Heather let out a growl as Naya's lower back hit the edge of the table.

"Fucking stop!" Over a decade of pent up pain and anger surfaced, boiling over and making her see red. She balled her hand into a fist and swung blindly, catching Naya's jaw. The force made Heather stumble, and she landed on the floor, sobbing again.

Naya leaned on her elbows on the table and cradled her jaw and low back, not quite sure which one hurt worse. She had counted on getting hit, yes, but she had not counted on Heather having such a powerful right hook. And she had not expected _so much_ anger to be behind it. Naya had no idea Heather would put all of her suffering into that single hit. But Naya regretted nothing; Heather needed that. She needed to learn to stand up for herself. From the floor, Heather sniffed. "Heather-"

"Why are you so embarrassed to be living with me?"

It surprised Naya, mainly because she had _just_ told Dianna the deal right in front of Heather. "What?" She flexed her jaw a few times. "I'm not."

Heather sobbed around a scoff. "Oh, please. You didn't even want to show up to school with me this morning. And you didn't want to come back here with me to get my contacts. My vision was blurry, but I could still see you looking for Mark. I get it, okay? You hate me and would rather have gone to Dianna's, but-"

"Don't you think that if I had wanted to be with Dianna, I would have gone there last night instead of coming here?" Naya asked. She crouched down in front of Heather and took Heather's hand in hers. "It's not you. I'm not embarrassed by you. It's the situation."

Heather snorted and wiped her face with the back of her free hand. "Yeah, the living with me situation."

"No, the being kicked out situation," Naya said. "You don't understand how embarrassing it is, people knowing that your father willing walked away, gave you up without a fight, and only bothered to make contact twice. And when your mother does the same? It's an unbearable feeling. That's why I didn't want to go to school with you this morning. There would have been too many questions, and I wasn't prepared to deal with them."

Heather was silent, mulling Naya's words. Then, she shrugged. "My dad's dead."

Though the statement was a heavy one, Naya knew it was a feeble attempt at humor to lighten the situation. She laughed lowly. "Yeah, but to be fair everyone thinks he's an astronaut."

"Huh. I thought that was just another rumor so people can be jerks."

"Nope," Naya said. She stood and extended a hand to pull Heather up too. "It's legitimate speculation." Once she was sure Heather could stand, Naya continued. "Is this the first time Dianna's done this?"

Reluctantly, Heather shook her head. "She threatened me via Lea a couple of weeks ago, and she was here Saturday. She told me to start tutoring you again. Or else."

"Heather, if you don't want to tutor me, I-"

"No, I'm not tutoring you because she told me to." Heather wrung her hands. "I wasn't going to tutor you again. You hurt me. But…then you apologized, and you were so sweet and…and…how could I say no to you?"

Naya smiled and took Heather's hand tightly, but kept quiet because she could tell there was more.

"And she, uh…" Heather gestured to her eyes, drawing glasses with her finger.

Naya gasped. "I knew those fuckers were too broken to have just been dropped!"

"No, no!" Heather said hurriedly, seeing that Naya was getting pissed all over again. "You know what? Seeing you punch her…that made up for it. I have my contacts, so I'll be okay."

"Just promise me…" Naya trailed off, searching for the words. This was supposed to be an inspirational speech, one that would will Heather to stand up for herself. "Just start standing up for yourself. You have a sharp tongue; use it!"

The air became thick, and Heather became jittery again. Before Naya could question the girl, Heather had stepped forward, her hand cupping Naya's cheek, and leaned down. Her lips sought Naya's hungrily, and before Naya could register that she had two choices, kiss back or push Heather off, Heather's tongue was dipping past her lips without warning, exploring messily. Naya moaned, the intrusive sound pulling her away from her bliss. She pushed Heather away gently, both of them breathing heavily.

"I…that's not what I meant." Naya pulled her free hand from Heather's grasp and stepped away, smoothing her hair from her face. She took a deep, shaky breath. Composure didn't come easily; she'd kissed a total of three people before Heather (one of those people being Mark), and while they were all good in their own sense, _none_ of them had elicited the feelings (or the noises) from her that Heather just had. And that scared her.

"I…uh…" Heather rubbed the back of her neck and looked away. "I'm sorry. I just…"

Naya nodded, even knowing that Heather was looking in a completely different direction and wouldn't see her. "Yeah, uh…let's just…forget that happened."

Heather swallowed visibly and nodded. "Right."

Naya started up the stairs, Heather right behind her, and said, "You know, considering the past two days, I think we both deserve to skip school tomorrow." She didn't expect Heather, who was so into her academics, to agree, so the blonde's noise of approval shocked her. "You think so?"

"I don't want to see Dianna's face."

"Point taken."

\-----

Another tear hit her pillow.

Mark was the only one left. And, in a way, she had lost him too.

Her father left, her mother abandoned her, and now she'd lost Dianna. All she had was Mark, and really, what was keeping him around?

Naya turned her face to muffle the sob that she couldn't hold back. She'd never felt more alone.

A tap on her shoulder made Naya look over. Heather was on her back, holding her blanket up invitingly. Naya didn't hesitate to throw her own blanket off and slip under Heather's. Heather dropped the blanket and wrapped her arms around Naya tightly. Naya laid her head on Heather's chest and listened to her heartbeat. 

"If it's any consolation," Heather whispered. "I know you're not a whore."

Naya sighed. Maybe she wasn't so alone afterall.


	9. Chapter 9

Lea waited by Heather's locker until the first bell for classes rang. At that point, she was forced to accept that, for the first time since the great chicken pox epidemic of seventh grade, Heather wasn't coming to school.

Lea's hands began to shake as she scanned the crowd for Naya. If Heather was missing school, something was terribly wrong; since she and Naya seemed pretty close lately, Lea figured that Naya would be the best person to question.

But…that was odd.

Naya was missing too.

Lea tried to regain normal breathing. There had to be a logical explanation as to why two of her three closest friends, Heather and Chris, were missing, as were the two people that didn't like them, Naya and Mark.

Maybe Mark and Naya were off in a random janitor's closet, fucking like bunnies. And maybe Chris and Heather had just gotten sick at the same time.

Except Mark and Naya had officially broken up Monday morning. And Heather _never_ got sick.

Lea took a deep breath. She spotted Dianna down the hallway, sagging rather miserably into her locker. Dianna knew Naya better than anyone – except Mark – and Lea just had a feeling that the key to finding Heather and making sure that she was okay was finding Naya.

And to find Naya, Lea had to somehow get Dianna to talk with her civilly.

 _Darn_.

Lea sucked in another breath and took long, purposeful strides towards Dianna. It was a simple question. No matter how nasty Dianna was, no matter Lea's crushing feelings, she could do this.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Dianna, may I have a word?"

Lea expected a smart remark, but the only indication that Dianna had even heard her was the brief, almost non-existent, movement of her eyes from her books to Lea. Lea decided to take it as a good sign.

"I just…" Lea paused and huffed. Dianna was never this quiet under any circumstances. It was throwing Lea off. It just wasn't _Dianna_. "I was wondering if you'd seen Naya. Because Heather is missing and-"

"Lea…" Dianna interrupted quietly, turning to Lea slowly. Lea gasped; Dianna hadn't referred to her by her first name is such a long time.

Something must have been terribly wrong in the world.

"Yes, Dianna?"

"I…" Dianna swallowed and looked down and away. "I did a bad thing."

Above them, the late bell rang.

\-----

"I'm sorry I hit you."

Naya hugged Heather closer to her at the quiet words. She'd never imagined that waking up with someone - especially Heather - every morning could feel this...amazing. Even though she wasn't sure where she stood anymore, Naya felt so loved.

Heather's hand massaged her scalp. "Don't apologize," Naya said. She hissed when Heather's hand left her hip to lightly graze across her swollen, bruised jaw.

"But I hurt you," Heather protested, her hand returning to pull Naya closer.

Naya rose up on her elbow to look at Heather. "I provoked you," she said. "Don't apologize for something that's my fault."

Heather nodded and Naya rolled off of the bed. She raised her hands above her head and stretched. Heather turned onto her side to face Naya.

It was past ten, and Heather was really enjoying the school skipping aspect of their new friendship. She just wasn't sure how to explain that or Naya's purple jaw to her mother.

Come to think of it, Heather wasn't exactly sure how to explain _Naya_ to her mother. Her mom would want to know what had happened, why Naya was exiled from her own home. Honesty was always the best policy, but how was she supposed to be honest when she didn't know the reason that Naya had been kicked out herself?

"So, are we dancing today?" Naya bent down to touch her toes.

"Mhm." Heather's eyes travelled the curve of Naya's back, but snapped away when Naya stood straight. "If you want."

"I do." Naya gathered some clothes and her hairbrush from her bag. "Just let me shower first."

Naya lowered the lid of the toilet and sat down to lean over and tinker with the water temperature. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get Mark's words out of her mind.

" _Just give it some thought_."

She'd thought about it until she'd fallen asleep the previous night, and to top it off she had dreamed about it. Then, no matter how hard she tried to tear her mind away and think of other things, her mind always went back to Mark.

" _We both deserve to come out of high school happy_."

Naya stepped into the shower and let the warm water flow over her. Mark had a point, as much as it pained her to admit it. After everything she'd been through, she deserved like hell to finally have some happiness in her life.

The only problem was that the first step to attaining that happiness was…well, getting Heather to fall for her. And if she ever did get up the courage to make a move, there was absolutely no chance that, after everything, Heather would reciprocate or even care.

Shifting from enemies to friends had been easy; Naya figured that anything past that was going to get messy and complicated.

Naya sighed and, to take her mind off of everything, began to hum Tina Turner. Singing, humming…it all helped to calm her down in moments like these when she really began to over think things. Singing had been another privilege, another talent, which her mother had tried her hardest to suppress. To that woman, cheerleading had been it for Naya. Cheerleading was going to be her way to college. Cheerleading was going to be her way of living. There had been 'none of that singing business' in the Rivera household. But when her mother left the house, as she often liked to do, Naya would belt out tunes.

_Do I love you, my oh my_

Naya held up the narrow shampoo bottle to her lips, an improvised microphone.

_River deep, mountain high_

The shower was her stage, the rushing water her adoring audience, the fans that she loved.

_If I lost you, would I cry?  
Oh how I love you baby, bab-_

Naya stopped mid-lyric. She had momentarily forgotten that she wasn't at her house. She wasn't in her shower. And she definitely was not alone. She loved to sing, but she was damn self-conscious about it after having been denied the opportunity.

Naya looked up to the ceiling and let out an irritated huff. She was going to love living with Heather, but not being alone long enough to sing was going to be an inconvenience.

Naya turned off the water and grabbed a towel.

What was one more change?

\-----

She'd been heading downstairs when she'd heard it, a melodious rasp, growing in intensity with each word.

Heather turned on her heel slowly and walked the few steps back to the bathroom. She pressed her ear to the door to listen to Naya's rendition of Tina Turner's _River Deep, Mountain High_. Her jaw slackened when Naya hit all of the high notes perfectly.

Then, suddenly, Naya stopped, mid-lyric, and Heather held her breath, waiting to be caught. Had Naya sensed that she was lurking? Or, even scarier, would Naya be angry that Heather had been intruding on what seemed to be a private moment? The shower turned off and Heather decided to continue down the hall as opposed to being caught.

She started down the stairs. One thing was for certain, and that was that her once conflicted feelings for Naya were beginning to become much clearer.

\------

Naya wrapped her towel around her dripping hair and walked down the hall to Heather's room. She expected her friend (Naya had to pause. Calling Heather her friend was weird. In a good way, of course.) perched on the bed, awaiting her turn in the shower, but the room was empty. Naya took a step back to look down the hall both ways, making sure Heather was out of sight, before stepping back into the room and towards the tall, black bookcase.

Now that they were friends and growing closer, Naya found that she just wanted to know more about Heather, her past, what made her _Heather_. Which meant doing the one thing that she had been avoiding: getting a good look at Heather's room.

In addition to the obvious multitude of books (some, Naya noted, were by her own personal favorite authors), there were frames and frames of pictures. Naya smiled, realizing that most of the pictures had Allie in them. There was one of Allie on Heather's shoulders in the backyard. There were several of the two of them at a zoo and an aquarium, and it appeared that the trip had just been for the two of them since the pictures seemed to have been taken by Heather. There was one of Allie holding up a sign proclaiming _I <3 Heather_. And there were even a few of the exterior of the Smithsonian.

Naya crossed the room to the CD/DVD rack. On the top were three pictures; one of Liz, April, Jeremy, and Allie, one of Lea and Chris hugging each other, and one of a tall, good-looking man giving Heather (who didn't look much younger than she did today) a piggy-back ride. Naya stepped closer to read the bold, black inscription at the bottom of the picture.

_David Heath Morris  
March 22, 1965 – June 14, 2007  
Rest in Peace_

Naya plucked the frame from the top of the shelf gingerly. David's arms were hooked under Heather's knees and her arms were slung tightly around his neck. His hair was light brown and he was clean shaven. In this picture, Heather looked happier than Naya had ever seen her. Both of their mouths were thrown open in now-silent laughter, laughter that Heather would never hear again.

Naya ran her fingers over Heather's still form. The blonde was so happy, even as Naya was sure that she had done something to make her miserable earlier in the day. This man had been Heather's entire world, just as Naya's dad had been hers. And this man had been cruelly ripped away from Heather long before she was ready to let him go.

Naya wiped a tear from her eye; a sympathetic droplet shed for both of their losses, and sat the frame back on the shelf. She turned back to the shelves that she had been inspecting earlier, the ones with the numerous pictures of Allie. Heather had been lucky. She had lost someone, yes, but through the pain she had been blessed with Allie, a big ray of sunshine in an otherwise black storm. It wasn't hard to tell that Allie was Heather's world now, even before Naya had seen all of the photos.

Naya heaved a sigh and unwrapped her hair as she left the room. Heather was lucky to have Allie, her beautiful niece, and, in turn, Allie was damn lucky to have Heather. Maybe, through this friendship, Naya could be blessed with someone too. And maybe Naya could get what she always secretly wanted.

Naya balled up the towel and tossed it into the hamper as she passed the bathroom. She continued down the stairs, contemplating the 180 degree turn her personality had taken in just a few short days. Just a week ago, the mere thought of spending so much time with Heather almost had her heaving. Now, it was all she wanted to do.

Naya entered the kitchen, expecting to see Heather at the stove, frying the bacon that smelled so amazing. Instead, Liz greeted her with a dazzling smile and Naya panicked. This wasn't supposed to go down until tonight. And Liz probably would not react well to the two of them skipping school today.

"Good morning!" Liz quipped cheerfully. She pulled three plates from the cabinet and placed them in a stack on the table.

"Morning," Naya said. She looked behind her, into the entertainment room, up the stairs, towards the dance studio, expecting to see Heather, but she was strangely absent. "Where's Heather?"

Liz pulled silverware from a drawer. "Oh, I sent her to the store for some nonsensical items." She placed the cutlery atop the plates and then turned to give Naya her full attention. "I wanted to have a chance to talk to you one-on-one, uninterrupted."

Naya gulped and could feel the color fade from her cheeks. "O-okay."

"Mind setting the table while we talk?" Liz turned back to the frying pan and Naya dutifully began to arrange their plates. "So, Heather has told me about your situation."

Naya laughed bitterly. "No beating around the bush, huh?" She heard Liz laugh, sounding so much like Heather that it physically hurt Naya. "Yeah. Yeah, ol' lady Rivera kicked me out."

Liz turned off the stove and pushed the frying pan to the back burner so that she could focus on Naya. "Honey, I'm so sorry to hear that." She walked to Naya, her heels clicking, and wrapped her arms around Naya. Naya clung tightly to the back of Liz's dress as angry tears fell. She was glad Liz had sent Heather away; she didn't want the girl to see her as a crying mess anymore. Liz pulled away, but kept a firm grip on Naya's shoulders, and Naya wiped her face with her hand.

"Sorry." Naya sniffed, noticing the tear stains on Liz's dress.

Liz ignored the apology. "You are more than welcome to stay here." She squeezed Naya's shoulders. "For as long as you need."

Naya smiled and her eyes began to tear up again. "Really?"

Liz released her shoulders and pulled a chair from under the table, gesturing for Naya to do the same. When they were both sitting, Liz said, "But there are things that need to be discussed."

"Interrogation time?" Naya joked.

Liz smiled. "Think of it as more like…an interview." Naya nodded. "As painful as it may be," Liz started, and Naya tensed. "I would like to know why it was that you were kicked out." Naya pressed her lips together and looked away. "I promise you, Naya, I am not trying to be nosey or judgmental; I need to know so that, whatever it is, be it drugs or alcohol or any of the like, Heather and I can help you get past it."

Naya inhaled deeply, weighing her options. Telling the truth played in her favor, apparently. Naya didn't want a nice woman like Liz thinking that she was some drug addicted alcoholic from the streets. But then, what was Liz's stance on homosexuality? And how would she feel about someone like Naya being around Heather, her daughter? Naya knew that some people came off as being okay with it until the thing they secretly feared was in their home. Naya nodded, amping herself up before speaking. "I'm gay."

Liz was silent as she tapped her chin with her index finger. Naya pressed her lips together again and cradled her forehead in her hand. _Way to fuck up. Way to go for totally homeless, dumbshit. If it had just been drugs or alcohol, a little acting, and you'd be in and out of rehab in a couple of months and-_

"I'm sorry," Naya whispered. She looked back up to Liz with tears streaming down her face. "I…I thought honesty would be best, and…god, okay, I'm an idiot. I'm so sorry. I'll just…I'll get my stuff and-"

"Stop," Liz said, making Naya drop back into her seat. "Stop right there. You're a lesbian. That's who you are. Don't ever apologize for being who you are. Don't ever be ashamed." Liz blinked several times, and, to Naya's amazement, dabbed at her eyes. "And don't ever apologize for being able to be _honest_ about it. That's who you are."

Naya remained silent. She was unsure of what direction Liz was taking this conversation. She wiped her face dry with a loud sniff.

Liz continued. "I'm a doctor. Part of my job is to not judge people that I don't know; I try not to make it a habit in my daily life. But when I hear of stories like yours, I can't help but wonder what terrible person would… _could_ throw away their child for being their own person?

"All that I have ever asked of Heather is that she be herself, and that she's honest with me in all aspects of life. That's all." Naya nodded, hanging on every word Liz was saying. "And, since you are comfortable enough to be honest with me, a person whom you barely know, I will now be honest with you. You've hurt my baby girl." Naya froze. "Heather has come home crying many a-day because of you and that Agron girl. When she was younger, she would cry every morning because she didn't want to go to school. And the end of the summer? That was the worst for her. But see?" She pointed to Naya's face, which had tears streaming down it again; she couldn’t even begin to fathom the pain Heather had endured through the years because of her. "I see that you're sorry. I see that you regret what you've done. And I see that you're trying to make it better." Naya nodded vigorously, because dammit she was trying her hardest to make things right. "You're a brave young woman. And I am not sending you out to fend for yourself merely because you are a lesbian, sweetheart."

"Really?" Naya asked hopefully, breathlessly. "You…you really mean it?"

Liz reached across the table and took Naya's hands. "I will not punish you for being you."

Naya exhaled loudly, thankful that living arrangements were one less thing that she had to worry about. She felt lightheaded. She squeezed Liz's hands. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much. You won't regret me, I swear."

"Just tell me two things. One, why aren't the two of you in school? I have all of the days that school is out marked on my calendar, and today is not one of those days."

Naya launched into the story of Dianna and how she'd been secretly terrorizing Heather, about how she was at their house the week before, which Liz remembered. Naya told about how Dianna had broken Heather's glasses – which Liz was furious about – and how Dianna had burst in uninvited the previous night and attacked Heather, and how Mark and herself had only gotten back just in time.

Liz set her jaw angrily. "I'm going to have to talk to that girl about leaving that damn door unlocked." Naya shrugged. She wanted to stand up for Heather, because the girl had only been thinking of her, but Liz already knew that. "So, what happened to your face?"

Naya was offended until she remembered her purple jaw and how she'd gotten it. She told Liz about provoking Heather to hit her. "I just wanted her to stand up for herself," Naya explained desperately. "She just…she had all of these pent up emotions after Dianna left, and it's not good for her to hold that in."

Liz finally raised an eyebrow and pointed to Naya's jaw. "My daughter did that?" Naya nodded, and wanted to reiterate that it _wasn't_ Heather's fault, but a proud smile slowly slid onto Liz's face. "She gets that arm from her father."

"He would be proud." Naya hadn't known David Heath Morris, but, somehow, she just knew. "He'd be proud of how strong she is in general. He would be _so_ proud."

Liz opened her mouth to reply, but the front door had suddenly burst open and Heather was calling, "A little _help_ would be nice!"

Naya was the first out of the kitchen. She dug through the pile of paper grocery bags in Heather's arms until Heather's beaming face came into view. "Well, hey."

Naya laughed as Liz took the rest of the bags from Heather. "Hey, yourself, spaz."

Heather grinned and took two of Naya's bags back. She leaned in close. "Everything okay?"

Naya looked into the kitchen where Liz was unpacking the bags; she smiled and looked back to Heather. "Everything's perfect." Heather's smile grew. "But, a word of warning, you might want to start locking doors. She's not too happy, if you know what I mean."

"You told her that?"

Naya shrugged. "She wanted to know why we weren't in school."

"Crap," Heather groaned.

They made their way to the kitchen. Heather seemed terrified that Liz would yell at her for the events of the previous night, but her mother had moved on to a more current subject. "Heather Elizabeth Morris!" Her appalled voice rang out making Heather jump. "I gave you specific _list_!"

"I got everything on it!" Heather tried to defend herself. "I just…got a little distracted."

Liz reached deep into the bag on the table and produced a handful of bags of gummy worms. She cocked an eyebrow.

"It's your fault for sending me to the store hungry."

Liz scoffed and took Naya's bags to rifle through them. Heather and Naya stood in silence as Liz produced bag after bag of junk food; Cheetos, Doritos, a jar of nacho cheese, microwave pizzas, Snickers.

Finally, Liz looked up. "I asked you to bring change back."

Heather dug in her pocket and pulled out a penny, three nickels, and a dime and placed it in Liz's outstretched hand with a painfully straight face.

Finally, Liz hung her head and laughed. "Child, I don't understand how you can eat like this and still look the way you do." She looked at Naya. "One burrito and I gain five pounds!"

"Mom, we've been over this before," Heather said seriously, as though talking to a child. She subtly slipped an arm around Naya's waist for a quick side-hug. "It's because I'm _awesome_."

Liz began putting all of the food that didn't fall into the 'junk' category into the cabinets and refrigerator. She blindly shook a finger in their direction. "One day, all of that _awesome_ is going to catch up to you, and I'll get to say that I told you so."

Heather made a face at Naya, but let the junk food subject die. "Are you gonna be home tonight, mom?" She asked hopefully.

Liz pulled a chair from under the table and sat to read the paper. "Afraid not." Heather's smile dropped and Naya swore that the happiness had actually been zapped from the room. "I have a date."

"Oh." Heather seemed to be fighting tears and Naya took her hand tightly, hoping to alleviate whatever was suddenly troubling her. "Right." Heather squeezed her hand. "John. Right. Well, Naya and I are gonna head down and do a little dancing." She tugged Naya's hand for her to follow.

"Oh, Heather?" Liz called over the rim of her coffee cup. "Whether you attend school tomorrow is up to the two of you; I trust your judgment." Heather nodded and turned, but Liz stopped them again. "Heather? Love you."

Heather smiled weakly. "Love you, too, mom."

\-----

Heather had gone back to Ms. Mays during lunch the previous day – and, subsequently, had not been able to eat lunch due to the woman's excessive questions about why Harry had backed out. Naya sat across from Heather on the dance studio floor, inspecting her nails – and occasionally Heather, but whatever – as Heather looked over their newest notes.

"So, what's the damage?" Naya ran her finger over a chipped nail and scowled unhappily about it.

Heather huffed and threw the unorganized handful of papers into the space between them. "She's added a bunch of new stuff since I took this class," she said, bewildered. She shuffled through the papers until she found one with a long bulleted list. She laid the paper flat and placed her finger under the fourth bullet point. "Below here…it's all new."

Horrified, Naya eyed the long list. "This is bad…right?" She swallowed harshly.

Heather stood and held her hands out to help Naya up. "Well, it's not _bad_." Naya took her hands and, once she was standing, sighed in defeat. "Hey, no, don't do that. You're going to get through this. I promise." She took Naya's hand again.

Naya untangled every finger but their pinkies. "Pinky promise?"

Heather smiled and squeezed. "Pinky promise."

\-----

Heather decided to try an exercise that Naya couldn't believe that she was actually enjoying. All she was doing was trying to mimic Heather's intricate steps as accurately as possible, but it was _fun_ , and Naya was disappointed when Liz came down to tell Heather that Chris was on the phone.

Heather listened to Chris wordlessly for well over five minutes before cupping the mouth piece. "Cool with you if Chris hangs here for a few tonight?" She asked Naya.

Naya smiled and nodded. It wasn't so much that she cared either way about Colfer's presence – truthfully, she'd rather he weren't here so she'd have more time alone with Heather, but whatever. It was that Heather had asked her how she felt about the situation. She hadn't invited Chris and then informed Naya that a gathering was happening. She had deliberately asked beforehand. She had only been technically living with her for a few hours, but Heather was already making strides to make her feel at home.

It was really the little things that mattered.

Heather talked for a few minutes longer (after affirming that Chris – and Lea, possibly – would arrive around five, and that, yes, he would be thoroughly informed as to why they were absent from school).

"Does Drama Club not meet up today?" Naya asked after Heather had hung up. She grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter and rubbed it on her shirt.

Heather pointed to the apple. "First off, that's plastic." Just about to bite into the 'apple', Naya's face fell. She put the decorative apple back, eyeing it warily. "And Chris said he was skipping the meeting today. He said he'll check with Lea, but you know how she is, so she may not be around until after six."

"So. What do we do for the next two hours?" Naya's gaze averted to the pile of junk food on the table.

Heather smirked and scooped everything into her arms. "You read my mind."

Naya blindly picked a movie and, with Liz doing some work in her office, the two ended up sprawled on opposite ends of the couch, their stash of treats tucked safely into the space between them for easy sharing.

Right before the credits on their second movie rolled, the doorbell chimed and Heather, dragging Naya behind her, bounded to open it. Heather stopped short of hugging Chris when she noticed two large duffel bags at his feet and Mark, carrying two more duffels, coming up the stairs.

"I brought Mark." Mark dropped the bags behind the others gently and placed his hand on the small of Chris' back, and Chris' smile grew. "I hope that's okay."

"Uh, yeah, that's totally fine." Heather waved lamely, remembering that he'd been there the night before to keep Dianna at bay. Mark waved back and stuck his tongue out at Naya, who just threw up her middle finger in return. "Guys, I don't know how to tell you this, but my mom was cool with Naya moving in; I don't think she'd be okay with this." She pointed to their bags.

Chris clapped his hands together merrily. "That's why I brought Mark. He has a surprise for Naya."

"Well, babe, you helped," Mark protested quietly. "I think you deserve credit too."

"But, hun, it was your idea, and-"

"Okay, ew," Naya interrupted. "You two can get married _after_ you tell me what this is. I mean…did you murder ol' lady Rivera, cut her up, and stuff her in these? 'Cause I don't want her."

Chris looked like he wanted to gag. "Ew. That's…dark." Naya shrugged.

Mark ignored both of them and hefted each bag past them and into the foyer as he explained. "Naya, these bags contain all of your crap. Clothes, bedding…you name it, if it was movable, it's there. And there are a couple more in the car."

Naya's jaw dropped as Mark unzipped each bag, revealing more and more of her stuff. "But…how?"

"Chris and I met up at school." Chris wrapped his arms around Mark's waist from the side and grinned. "We stayed long enough for homeroom, so we wouldn't be counted absent. Then we left and went to the witch's lair. I picked the lock and Chris bypassed the security code, both of which she has changed, by the way. We just grabbed everything that would fit into these bags and hauled it out of there."

"But…won't you get in trouble or something?"

"Assuming the psycho goes in your room, maybe." Mark tightened his arm around Chris' shoulders. "But chances are she'll never be sober enough to notice, anyway."

Naya stared at Chris and tears formed in her eyes. "You…you did that? For me? After everything I've said to you?"

Chris released Mark and opened his arms for Naya to fall into. "Heather trusts you. So I trust you," he whispered simply into her hair.

"Thank you," she breathed, then sniffled. "Thank you so much."

"Okay. Now I feel that this is excessive," Mark said, gesturing to the two of them. "A hug is a hug, but now you're just feeling him up."

"If you like it, you should have put a ring on it," Naya bit back, smiling because she knew that Mark couldn't see her.

"I kinda did, though," Mark protested. "But, I mean, if you want him, you take him and I'll take Heather." He pulled Heather, who had been observing quietly, into a hug, enveloping her so that she couldn't move, and she squeaked. "I guaran-damn-tee he'll break before I will and he'll beg you to let him-"

"Wait, you put a ring on it?" Naya asked, interrupting Mark, her brain finally catching up to the conversation. She pulled away from Chris. Chris nodded and held up his right hand where Mark's class ring was hanging loosely from his thumb.

"We exchanged," Chris said proudly. "But his is too big for me, and mine is too small for him-"

"That's what she said," Heather piped up. Naya smiled fondly at Heather, who tried her best to shrug around Mark's strong grip.

Chris continued, unfazed. "So, we're getting chains so that we can wear them as necklaces."

"I know it's…soon," Mark chimed in. He released Heather and wrapped his arm back around Chris. "But I confessed everything to him and it just…happened. I'm finished caring what everyone at school thinks. I mean, you of all people know how long I've been in love with him." Heather 'aww'd, making Chris' cheeks flush.

"It's about time," Naya said. "Thank you. For all of this. I seriously owe you." Mark smirked and tilted his head towards Heather. Naya would have been angry, but, thankfully, Heather was too busy zipping all of the bags back up to be moved upstairs. "You're lucky I love your stupid ass."

Mark smiled and grabbed two bags. "So, am I allowed to stay, or is this going to be a little girly gossip fest?" He asked Heather as the two of them climbed the stairs. "Because I may be gay, but I want _no_ part of that."

Heather laughed and glanced down to where Chris and Naya were stepping out to get the bags, and the fact that Naya was glancing up at her didn't escape her. "You're more than welcome to stay. The more the merrier, yada yada. We'll probably just order some pizza, play some board games, the like."

"Sounds like a sweet deal. I'm in."

They dropped the bags onto Heather's bedroom floor. "Well, it's the least I could do. You've done a lot for us the past few days."

Mark stepped aside, in true gentleman fashion, and allowed Heather to exit ahead of him. "Look," he said quietly as they made their way back down the hall. "Naya really lov-…Naya likes spending time with you. More than she thought she would. And last night, when we pulled up and she realized what was happening, it was almost like her entire world had ended. You should have seen how scared she was, Heather. I've never seen her like that before. Anyone that can bring that out of Naya deserves all of the nicest things a guy like me can offer."

Heather smiled, but only got as far as 'thank you' before Chris and Naya were thumping up the stairs, struggling under their two bags. Mark gave Heather a quick hug, and they rushed over to help.

Later, the group settled in the entertainment room. Heather and Chris watched as Naya and Mark played _Halo_ and cursed angrily at each other ("Mark! Stop shooting me with – _ARGH_ I'm on your team asshole!"). Mark and Naya watched as Heather and Chris played _DDR_ and cursed angrily at each other ("You're gonna fall on your damn face, Morris!" "You have two left feet, Colfer. If anyone's falling it's…well, fuck!"). At six-thirty, the doorbell rang again and, expecting Lea, Heather bounded to the door, once again dragging Naya.

Lea, however, was not waiting on the other side.

"Oh, hey," Heather said, probably sounded more dejected than she should have considering that this ruggedly handsome man was her mother's date. (And this was coming from Naya. Hello, gay.) "Mom's upstairs. She'll probably be down in a minute."

"Ah," he said with a smile, waving dismissively towards the top of the stairs. "Let her take her time. It's been a while; how have you been kiddo?" He punched the air in front of Heather's abdomen several times, much like a father bonding with his son would.

Heather looked anything but amused.

"Jeez, kid, who died."

Heather bit her lip and looked away.

"No, I'm sorry," he said. Naya could tell by this man's obvious desperation that he wasn't new and that he'd been trying for a while – possibly years – to get Heather to like him. Or to at least accept his presence. "I didn't mean-"

"Its fine," Heather said through clenched teeth.

He deflated and turned away. "Well, who are your new friends? I know Chris, but…"

"That's Mark. He's Chris' new boyfriend." Heather grabbed Naya's elbow briefly, almost affectionately. "This is Naya. She lives here now."

"Well, Naya," he said. He stepped between them and stretched his hand out for Naya to take; Naya hesitated, but reluctantly placed her hand in his. "Ah, nice firm grip. I like that. John Stamos, M.D." Behind him, Naya swore she saw Heather gag.

"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you," Naya lied. She couldn't really see anything wrong with this man other than his slightly creepy flirtatiousness and his obvious lack of tactical sensitivity, but Heather didn't like him. That had to mean something, right? "Naya Rivera. Er…student."

"Rivera?" He asked curiously. "You're Angie Rivera's daughter, aren't you? Boy, she came in with a gnarly back injury about a year ago. Needed some serious-"

Naya crossed her arms. Well. So much for that. "Angie Rivera was never a mother to me." John drew his eyebrows together. "And for the record, she got that back injury from riding Frankie, her fuck buddy of that weekend, too hard."

John was speechless and Heather couldn't help the snort that emitted from her. Lucky for him, Liz came strutting (fucking flawlessly, Naya noted) down the stairs and looped her arm through John's. "I see you've met the newest addition to our family, Naya."

"Yeah." John forced a smile and allowed Liz to pull him to the door. "It was a, uh…pleasure."

"Heather I left phone numbers of where we'll be on the fridge. Bye, everyone!"

"Bye, Ms. Morris!" Mark called.

"Bye, Liz!" Naya and Chris said simultaneously.

"Bye, mom," Heather whispered.

Naya took Heather by the wrist and stepped closer. "You okay?"

Heather looked down at Naya's hand. "He's…"

"What?" Naya persisted. "He's what, Heather?"

"He's not my dad."

Naya ran her fingernails halfway up the inside of Heather's arm and back down to take her hand. Heather felt like this man was here to replace David, Heather's father. The way John was trying so hard, Heather couldn't be blamed for feeling that way. Heather probably felt that it was way too early for Liz to move on when she herself still seemed to be mourning.

"She deserves to be happy," Naya said, because John and Liz seemed to adore each other, and that was better than Liz having a bunch of dangerous men in the house for drunken one night stands. Despite Heather's sour attitude, John was _trying_ , and that meant something. Heather actually looked ashamed. "I mean…its okay for you to feel the way that you do. As long as you recognize that he makes her happy. And she deserves that."

Heather nodded slowly. Naya stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around Heather's neck. Heather hugged her tightly and inhaled deeply, calming herself down. Behind them, the door opened and they released each other in time to see Lea edging her way in.

"I ran into your mom outside," she said quietly. "She told me that I could just come in." She fiddled with her fingers awkwardly, and Naya sensed that she was about to say something that neither she nor Heather was going to like. "I, uh…Dianna told me what she did."

"You talked to Dianna?"

Lea recoiled from Naya's angry outburst. "I was worried about Heather. Both of you were absent, and I couldn't find Chris. My last resort was Dianna. She told me what she did." Lea stepped forward and touched Heather's arm. "I'm sorry that you had to endure that."

Heather nodded. "I think we owe my living state to Naya and Mark."

"What I did for you is nothing compared to what you're doing for me," Naya insisted. "I'd be on the streets if it weren't for you."

"Yeah, but my face would be missing."

"Heather-"

"Get a room!" Mark called from the couch.

"Don't tempt us!" Heather called back teasingly, making Naya flush. Heather grabbed both girls by their wrists and dragged them to the entertainment room.

Around eight, the group decided that it was time for pizza, and when the delivery guy arrived, Lea, Chris, and Mark each threw a five dollar bill at Heather to pick up their portion of the tab.

After watching several movies and annihilating their pizzas (vegan for Lea, pepperoni for Chris and Mark to share, and sausage for Naya and Heather to share), eleven rolled around and Lea, Chris, and Mark had to leave.

" _Some_ of us still have an interest in going to school," Lea jokingly reprimanded.

"Yeah, well _some_ of us might not be at school tomorrow, either." Heather stuck her tongue out.

"Ugh, you're turning into such a hooligan, Heather Morris." Lea turned to Naya. "You know, people think you've killed her and left town."

Mark sighed and opened the door for Chris and Lea. "The sad thing is that she's not even joking. We'll set everyone straight tomorrow, won't we guys?"

"Hell yeah!"

Mark wrapped his arms around Naya. "See ya, Rivera."

"Thank you," Naya said into his shirt. "You're not a bad guy, Salling." Mark pulled away and nudged Naya's chin with his fist.

After also hugging Mark, Heather closed the door behind him. "So what now?"

"I don't know." Naya looked around. "Tired of TV. Too early for bed. Too full to eat. Not interested enough to dance."

"We can take a blanket and lay out in the backyard," Heather suggested.

Naya smiled. "Perfect."

\-----

"And there's _Canes Venatici_."

"Where?"

Heather took Naya's hand, pointer finger extended, and slowly traced the constellation. "There's the Big Dipper, _Ursa Major_. And the rest-" She finished connecting the stars. "-makes up _Canes Venatici_. See how it looks like two dogs?"

Naya twisted her head one way, then the other. "Not really, no." She traced the Big Dipper again. "I mean, I see the drinking gourd thing." Heather laughed. "But I see no dogs."

"It's hard," Heather said. "Unless you've seen Hevelius' star atlas."

Naya turned her head to stare at Heather. "Who's what, now?"

Heather grinned up at the sky. "Don't worry; it's a nerd thing."

Naya bit her lip. "Teach me?"

Heather frowned and turned her head. "About the stars?"

Naya turned onto her side fully and propped her head up with her hand. "Well, yeah." She toyed with the hem of Heather's tank top. "Everything. I just want to be smart like you."

"But you are."

"Not like you, though," Naya said. "Half of the crap I learn at school is gone by the time I get home."

"Just…" Heather paused, searching for the right words. "You have to find stuff that interests you. If you don't care about it, you won't retain it." She hesitated. "Supposed I asked you to tell me about singing."

Naya froze and averted her eyes from the sliver of exposed skin above Heather's pants to the face that was once again turned skyward. "What?"

"If I asked you about singing," Heather said again. "About songwriting and such…what would you be able to tell me about it?" Naya was silent. "I walked by the bathroom earlier and heard you singing." Naya remained stoic. "Don't be angry. It was…your voice is beautiful." Heather turned her head again. "You're really amazing."

Naya brushed her hair away from her face. "I was just goofing off."

"See, the weird part is that I don't think you were," Heather said.

"Yeah well, so what?" It was a sensitive subject, singing. After having her talent suppressed for so many years, it was just one more thing for Naya to be bitter about. She had spent years singing in private, away from scornful, listening ears. Why would anyone care now? "It's not like it'll get me anywhere."

"Don't get defensive," Heather said quietly. "Please. This is me, you know." Naya nodded apologetically. "I don't want to get your hopes up, but I heard through the grapevine that there will be college scouts at the talent show in May. Maybe you should think about signing up. Even if you don't win, I'm sure you'll make an impression."

"I don't know."

"Just promise me you'll give it some thought?"

Naya smiled; there was absolutely no way that she could say no. "Promise." She linked her pinky with Heather's.

"Good." Heather released Naya's finger and folded her hands behind her head. "So, how do you feel about school tomorrow?"

Naya scoffed. "If you have to ask…"

Heather hummed. "Right. Skipping. Just making sure."

Naya pulled her hand back. Heather believed in her. For once in her life, someone was vocalizing just how much they thought that she could make it, and Naya hadn't figured out whether to be pleased or stressed out.

Naya, finally deciding that the time had to be now, rolled on top of Heather. Panic flashed in her blue eyes at the surprise. "You've been so good to me." Heather opened her mouth, but Naya continued. "And I know we've been through this and you're probably sick of hearing it…but thank you."

Heather seemed speechless, and Naya did the only thing that she wanted to do. She leaned down, placing her mouth securely over Heather's. Heather stiffened, unsure of what to do, and Naya tilted her head, encouraging Heather to relax. To Naya's delight, Heather opened her mouth the slightest bit when Naya swiped her tongue slowly across her lip.

Now resting on her forearms, Naya happily probed her tongue into Heather's mouth, slowly at first, not really knowing if Heather had ever done anything like this before, and Heather pulled her hands from behind her head. She wrapped her hands tightly around Naya's waist, just under her ribs. Naya's tongue slid over the roof of Heather's mouth and Heather pulled away slightly. "Naya," she murmured against Naya's lips. "What are we doing?"

Naya shifted, finding a more comfortable position, and shook her head. She paused to place a long, slow kiss on Heather's lips. "I don't know," she admitted. "All I know is that I've wanted this for a long time, and it feels too fucking good to stop."

Heather smiled and brought a hand up to cup Naya's jaw, making Naya hiss in pain. "Sorry," she apologized, running her fingers gently over the bruised flesh. She pushed Naya's shoulder until the confused girl was sitting astride her hips. When Naya shifted to rise, Heather grabbed her hips to hold her down. "Where are you going?"

"Oh," Naya said dumbly, and an easy smile spread across her face. "I just thought…"

Heather laughed lowly and sat up, using her strong stomach muscles to support her. "Well, there's our problem."

"Rude." 

Heather grinned again. She took Naya's hands and moved them behind her head, draping Naya's arms over her own shoulders. Naya wrapped her arms loosely around Heather's head. Heather slid her hands to the small of Naya's back and attached her lips to the underside of Naya's jaw. She worked her way down Naya's sharp jaw with kisses, nips, and licks.

"Ay, dios," Naya moaned.

"Your Spanish accent sucks," Heather whispered in her ear.

"Oh, please," Naya breathed. "What do you know about Spanish?"

"Hmm," Heather hummed. "More than you, apparently." Sensing a snarky remark, Heather dropped her head and rained open mouthed kisses across Naya's collarbone.

Naya whimpered as Heather's head moved ever lower, reaching the top of her tank top and scraping her teeth across the skin. Naya pushed the right strap of Heather's tank top off of her shoulder, and Heather nipped her skin sharply. Naya hissed, tangled her fingers in Heather's hair, and tugged hard to pull the blonde's mouth back to her own.

With Naya's tongue busy exploring her mouth, Heather's hands slipped under Naya's tank, brushing the underside of her breasts. Naya arced, and unintentionally ground her hips down, making both of them shudder. Naya ran her hands through Heather's hair, tugging extra hard and more than once in spots that seemed to make Heather gasp, whimper, or arc into her.

As Heather's hands inched higher under her shirt, caressing the outsides of Naya's breasts, the sound of car doors slamming made them jump apart.

"Did you hear that?" They asked at the same time, turning wide eyes to the corner of the house; bright headlights flooded the side of the yard.

"Mom and John!"

"Shit!"

Naya scrambled off of Heather, not wanting to jeopardize her chances of staying in the Morris household. She pulled at her shirt, which had been pushed halfway up her bare breasts, and smoothed her hair down. Heather stood and grabbed the blanket that had been under them. They dashed into the house and Heather tossed the blanket into the laundry room as they passed.

"Fix your hair!" Naya hissed. Heather combed her hands through her mussed hair. The door opened and Liz's beaming face appeared.

"Hey, mom!" Heather greeted, and Naya thought her tone dripped _guilt_ , but whatever. "Have fun?"

"Oh, I always have fun with John." Liz tossed her purse onto the table by the door. "Did you girls have fun?"

"Uh, yeah," Naya said. Because _damn_ did they have fun. She folded her hands in front of her. "Yep, we've just been dancing. And nothing else." _Subtle_.

Liz covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned. "You girls going to school tomorrow?"

Heather pushed Naya towards the stairs. "I don't think so," she said. "But we're gonna hit the hay. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" Liz called.

Naya made a quick detour into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face, and when she finally went into the bedroom, Heather was already on her side, sound asleep. Naya flipped the lights off and crawled in behind Heather. She curled herself around the taller body and pulled Heather closer by her waist. Despite her sexual frustration, Naya was asleep almost instantly.


	10. Chapter 10

Rain poured outside. Thunder rumbled above them loudly, sounding every bit a large bass drum. The lightning was blinding. But none of it mattered; Naya had woken in the best possible way: a pair of soft lips on hers.

Heather was shy in most aspects of life. Dishing out the love was obviously not one of them.

Not that Naya minded. Not the least bit. She'd always wondered what the hype was to be woken with good morning kisses, but she hadn't expected it to feel like this. She was by no means a morning person, but she figured that she wouldn't mind waking up this way every morning.

Heather was laying half on top of her, one hand toying with Naya's hair, the other splayed under Naya's shirt, across her stomach, warm skin against warm skin. Naya's arms were wrapped under Heather's arms and back around to cling to Heather's shoulders, and she knew that she was being kind of clingy but she didn't care.

"So," Heather whispered. She brushed her nose against Naya's cheek. "Did you mean it?" She slid her hand to Naya's waist, drawing lazy shapes on the sensitive skin.

"Mmm?" Naya closed her eyes and yawned. "Mean what?" She dropped her hands to run them blindly over the exposed skin of Heather's lower back, tracing the tattoo as best she could.

Heather hummed her approval. "That you've wanted this for a long time."

Naya's eyes shot open, wondering why, now that they were friends, Heather would question her. Above her, Heather was smirking. "Of course," she said. "And you know that, so why are you asking?"

"I just wanted to hear you say it." Heather kissed her quickly.

"Annnnnd," Naya drew out, snaking her hands around to grip the front of Heather's shirt. "What about you?" Heather smiled.

"It's hard to feel anything but hate and animosity towards the person who single handedly made your life miserable for years." Naya's face fell. "But I'll be damned if I didn't pull it off."

"Even-"

"I've always known," Heather interrupted, already knowing the question. "I always kind of knew that you hated me because you loved me."

"You did?" Well. Naya had always thought that she hid it well. "How?"

Heather brushed some hair off of Naya's forehead and tucked it behind her ear. "The same way that I knew about Mark and Chris," she whispered. "And Dianna and Lea, though God only knows why." Naya laughed, but she was surprised; sure she'd always suspected that Dianna wasn't exactly straight, but she never thought it'd be _Lea_. "The same way I knew about Kevin and Jenna, and-" Heather paused and a shudder ran through her. "-the same way I noticed the…uh…growing bulge in Harry's pants when I showed him my piercing." Naya snorted. "I pay attention to people. I pay attention to you."

Naya took Heather's hand and interlocked their fingers. "Mark and I were only together for a month," she said. "Back in middle school. The rest of the time we were faking."

Heather nodded. "I know."

Naya bit her lip. In addition to being smart, Heather was strangely observant for a girl who had spent most of her life looking down. Naya leaned up to kiss Heather, but a knock on the door sent them clambering away from each other. The door swung open to reveal Liz, still in sweatpants and a tank top; dressed up or dressed down, Liz was still fucking gorgeous. _Just like Heather_.

"Breakfast is ready if you girls are hungry," Liz said.

Heather's eyes lit up and she jumped from the bed and ran past Liz. Naya laughed.

"The one thing you need to know," Liz said, gesturing for Naya to follow. "Heather never refuses food." Together, they reached the stairs in time to see Heather sliding down the banister. "Heather Elizabeth, I told you to cut that out!"

Reaching the bottom of the banister, Heather jumped off and called, "Sorry mom!" before sliding on her socked feet into the kitchen. A crash was heard and they quickened their pace, reaching the kitchen just as Heather was righting the chair that she had slid into. "Sorry."

"Enough tomfoolery," Liz reprimanded. She gestured for the both of them to sit and eat. "Now, today is my day off, my last day off for several weeks, and I was hoping for some peace and quiet." She turned to Naya and jerked her thumb towards Heather. "Of course, living with this one…" She shrugged helplessly. Naya laughed and Heather kicked her under the table.

"We were just going to have a lazy day anyway," Heather said dismissively, though it was clear that she had had other things in mind.

Naya turned wide eyes to Heather, truly concerned with Heather's plans. "Are we going to dance?" Exams were still a couple of months away, but Naya needed all the help she could get.

"We can if you want." Heather ran her foot over Naya's, fully aware of Naya's concerns. "It's your call."

"I'd feel more comfortable…"

Heather smiled. "Looks like you're getting your peace and quiet after all, mom."

Neither missed Liz's fist pump.

\-----

As it turned out, dancing really close like the girls tended to do led to Naya throwing Heather to the floor and ravishing every bit of exposed skin that she could before, once again, Liz got bored and decided to come down and watch them (had the basement door not been squeaky, they would have been caught). So they ended up doing the mimic exercise again.

Together, they decided – reluctantly – that they would return to school on Thursday; there were only two days to suffer through before a much welcomed three day weekend.

Thursday found Naya and Heather walking the halls amid whispers, and Naya, face burning, kept her eyes on her feet. By now, news about her getting kicked out had reached every ear, and speculations as to why it had happened were being tossed about.

"Hey!" She heard Mark bark as his heavy arm slid across her shoulders. Beside her, Heather's hand bumped hers and Naya shamelessly grabbed her it for support. "All of you mind your own fucking business!"

The whispers stopped, normal activity resumed, and just as suddenly as he appeared, Mark was gone. Heather reached over with her free hand and bumped Naya's chin up. "First rule of being outcast," she said when they reached her locker. "Keep your head up." Naya nodded.

The rest of their first day back went smoothly. Naya had had to throw a few dirty looks here and there, but there had been absolutely no sign of Dianna. After a lot of thought, Naya had gone to the theatre director and signed up as a solo act for the talent show. Naya had even eaten lunch with Heather, Chris, Lea, and Cory.

"As much as I enjoy your presence, Naya," Lea said, standing. "I have some important business to attend to, so if you all will excuse me."

As Lea took her leave, Naya leaned over to Heather and, only half joking, whispered, "You better watch her. That's the same bull Dianna fed me before she went bonkers."

Heather didn't reply.

\-----

Lea approached the blonde cautiously. A note – the signer claiming to be Dianna – was slipped into her locker, asking for a meeting by the football field after lunch. Lea had considered ignoring the note, but, with the absence of Dianna all day, Lea's curiosity had gotten the best of her.

Lea glanced around. If this was a trap, Dianna had gone to great measures to cover it all up. The cheerleader was sitting alone on the grass with her knees drawn to her chest. Her back was to Lea and her ponytail whipped violently in the wind.

The ground was still saturated from the previous day's storm, but as Lea, eyes darting furiously for any glimpses of green uniforms, approached, she decided that she didn't like the skirt she was wearing anyways.

Dianna was staring out across the football field to the lake on the other side of the chain link fence. Lea picked at the grass by her foot, unsure of what to say.

"You came," Dianna whispered.

Lea nodded, though she knew Dianna wouldn't see her. "Yes," she said. "Though I will be honest…I almost didn't."

"I understand."

Lea bit her lip and looked away, scanning the bleachers for the away teams. "Dianna, why did you ask me to come out here?"

Ignoring her question, Dianna countered with her own. "How's Naya?"

Lea turned back to Dianna. "She's good."

"And Heather?"

"She's…okay," Lea said, clearly confused. She couldn't remember Dianna ever addressing Heather by her actual name. "I guess. I mean…she's good."

"They're living together, right?" Lea nodded, and Dianna's peripheral vision must have been amazing because she continued. "Are they dating yet?"

Taken aback, Lea sputtered, "Wh-what? No. I…I don't think so…but now that you mention it, they've become rather close…"

Finally Dianna smiled, a soft gesture that Lea thought was breathtaking on her. "Well, it's only a matter of time. Naya certainly deserves it."

Unable to discern whether or not Dianna was making a crack towards Heather or if she was really happy for Naya, Lea backpedaled. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

Finally, Dianna turned her head to stare at Lea. Tear glistened on her cheeks. "I'm not a bad person," she whispered.

Lea's eyes darted. "Well, no," she agreed. "You're not. But the things you do and the things you say certainly suggest-" Lea stopped; Dianna had fallen sideways, letting her head hit Lea's shoulder, and for a moment Lea thought that she had fainted, until a sob escaped the other girl. "-otherwise."

Dianna tried to speak, but choked on her words as another sob escaped her. Then, she tried again. "I'm sorry for my existence."

Speechless, Lea wrapped her arms around Dianna's shaking frame and held her tightly.

\-----

"Your mom and John are right downstairs."

"With the heels that woman wears, we'll hear her way before she hears us."

Trapped between Heather and the bedroom wall, Naya grunted as Heather hefted her up. She wrapped her legs around Heather's waist, still amazed at the other girl's strength. Heather gripped her thighs, just below the legs of her short denim shorts.

"You better be right." She dug the heels of her sneakers into the small of Heather's back. Heather bit her jaw playfully. "If we get caught, I'm so blaming you."

The weeks had passed in a blur, and suddenly the middle of May was upon them. The talent show and exams were fast approaching – Naya's dance was nearly finished and she had yet to pick a song for the talent show, but the only thing plaguing her mind was _what the fuck are we_?

At this point, spontaneous make-out sessions were the norm for Naya and Heather. It was never long before one girl had to give in to the pull between them and throw the other to the dance studio or bedroom floor or slam the other against the nearest wall, lips hungrily seeking every bit of skin possible. Much to Naya's chagrin, they had yet to get past kissing and necking – and a little over the shirt groping on her part – before something or someone interrupted them.

Naya was convinced that if the two of them were alone on a tiny, uncharted island, _something_ would happen to make them stop.

They had yet to talk about it, this weird thing that they had going between them. As far as Naya knew, they weren't official; they hadn't even discussed each other's past experiences – or lack thereof.

The morning in question, Heather had bounded in at six-thirty – a supposedly non-existent hour where Saturday was now concerned – and pounced on Naya's sleeping form. She declared that April and Jeremy were opening their pool for the summer, and that she and Naya were going to make the two hour drive to go swimming.

Naya had just finished lacing her sneakers when Heather had pulled her up by her hands and pinned her against the wall. Not that she particularly minded, but if Heather had have been five minutes earlier, Naya would have been naked and they could have had a little quickie.

Heather gently unwrapped Naya's legs and set her back on the floor. Naya kept her fingers tangled in Heather's hair and gently stroked her scalp as they broke contact and shared a smile.

Naya wrapped her arms around Heather's neck. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

Heather slipped her hands under Naya's shirt and rubbed tight circles on her hipbones with her thumbs. "Okay, I'm listening."

Naya licked her lips. She unwrapped her arms and slid her hand down to smooth across Heather's shoulders, fixing her rumpled shirt. "You know what? It can wait." Heather nodded obviously disappointed; Naya knew that she wanted to move forward, but Heather had done most of what she could. The rest was up to Naya.

"Well," Heather said. She moved away from Naya. "Got your swim suit?"

"Under my clothes."

Heather's eyes snapped down to Naya's breasts and she licked her lips. "Right. Well. Shall we go then?"

Naya cocked an eyebrow. "'Shall'?"

Heather laughed and pointed to the door. "Just go."

Heather and Naya took the jeep and Liz and John followed in John's car. What should have been a two hour drive took thirty minutes longer because Naya had a bladder the size of a pinhead, but they made it safely.

As soon as Heather's feet hit the ground she was stripping, leaving Naya's slack jawed and breathless as she watched. "Come on!" Heather said, dragging Naya by the wrist.

The morning sun was already nearly unbearable, and Naya pulled her shirt off when her feet touched the cement ledge, made cool by the water that Heather had splashed out when she cannonballed.

When Heather surfaced, spitting water in April's direction, she asked, "Where's Allie?"

"Visiting my parents for the weekend." Jeremy shook his head, not unlike a wet dog. "They haven't seen her in weeks-"

"And mommy and daddy wanted some adult time," April added.

Heather was obviously disappointed, but she called out, "C'mon, Naya! The water feels amazing!"

Naya sat in a deck chair and scoffed. "No thanks. My butt is staying in this chair and soaking up the sun." She threw her sun block to the side, adjusted her glasses, closed her eyes, and laid back.

Soon, the sun was gone and Naya opened her eyes. "D'you mind?" She stuck her tongue out at Heather, whose grinning face was blocking the sun and dripping cold water on her.

"Nope!" Heather chirped before bending over. She hooked one arm under Naya's knees and the other under her back to pick her up bridal style.

"Heather!" Naya shrieked and wrapped her arms tightly around Heather's neck. Heather cackled and carried Naya to the edge of the deepest end. "Heather, no! Stop! My hair doesn't agree with water!"

"You shower don't you?"

"It's not the same thi – Heather, no!" Heather dropped her arms, releasing Naya into the cold water. But Naya, having had a death grip on Heather, ended up dragging the other girl with her, and the last thing that Naya saw before the water rushed her face was Heather flipping end-over-end after her.

Naya kicked to the surface. She could hear the adults – especially Jeremy – laughing at them. She cleared her face of water and hefted herself onto the side of the pool. In front of her, Heather was doing acrobats under the water, and Naya began to wring her hair out. Suddenly, Heather's form darted towards her, and Naya spread her legs in time for Heather to surface between them and spit water on her abdomen.

"Classy," Naya joked. But Heather's eyes, now wide, were affixed to the one place Naya didn't expect: the apex of her legs. Naya reached out and palmed the back of Heather's head.

Heather blindly grabbed a passing inflatable chair, looked up to Naya's face, and extended her hand. Naya eyed it warily. "Trust me," Heather whispered, her eyes flicking back to Naya's covered center.

"Heather, I don't-"

"I'll make it worth your while," Heather whispered, flexing the fingers of her outstretched hand. "Please?"

Curiosity – and anticipation – won her over, and Naya took Heather's hand, allowing the other to help her back into the water. Heather pulled the chair closer and hoisted herself into it. She pulled Naya closer, turned her around, and pulled her into the chair to sit between her legs. Naya tensed, feeling the chair sink lower than it really should have. "It's okay," Heather said. "It'll be fine when we sit back. But if anyone goes under, it'll be me."

Naya nodded and leaned back against Heather's chest, pleased at how comfortable it actually felt. Heather's fingers ghosted over Naya's ribs and against the bottom of her bikini top before her hand came up to close over a full breast. "You have to be quiet okay?" Heather pressed a kiss to Naya's shoulder. Naya nodded enthusiastically; this was the farthest that Heather had gone with her. Normally Naya was the one groping like a mad woman. Looking around, though, she knew that they didn't have to worry too much about being caught. April and Jeremy were already half-past foreplay, and Naya wasn't sure exactly what Liz and John were up to, but she knew that if she dwelled too much on it she'd make herself sick.

Naya pushed into the hand kneading her chest. "Okay," she whispered.

Heather moved Naya's hair to the side and slowly worked the knot at the nape of Naya's neck, giving the girl leeway to change her mind.

"Are you sure?" Heather whispered, now clinging to the untied straps of Naya's top. "Like, absolutely?"

Naya answered the only way that she knew to make Heather understand. "I want this as much as you do."

Heather smiled against her shoulder, still keeping half an eye on the adults. She pulled the strings down and trapped them under her own legs so that the top wouldn't float around. With her top clinging to her by only the tie around the middle, her breasts completely free to the chill of the water, Naya gasped in anticipation and pressed back into Heather further.

"Remember," Heather mumbled against her shoulder. "Quiet." Then, her hands closed around Naya's breasts, palms rolling against already erect nipples, and Naya's breath hitched. Heather squeezed once, twice, three times, before pulling away to let her fingers focus on rolling Naya's nipples between her thin fingers, teasing agonizingly. Naya held in a groan and dropped her head back to Heather's shoulder. Heather sucked the skin behind Naya's ear and Naya realized that _holy shit_ Heather had totally fucking done this before.

Heather, who was apparently as tired of all of the backed up teasing as Naya was, finally released Naya's breasts, and Naya whimpered because she knew what came next. Heather's hands trailed down Naya's taut stomach, pausing briefly to tug softly at the piercing in Naya's navel – which Heather had been surprised to find – before continuing onwards.

Naya pressed her face into the side of Heather's neck, trusting the other girl to watch the others. Heather lifted Naya's legs and laid them over her own, using her knees to keep Naya's legs spread. She rubbed the insides of Naya's thighs and whispered, "The time to back out is now."

"The time to back out was months ago," Naya panted. Her impending orgasm had been a long time coming, what with the dreams that had started way before they were friends and their make-out sessions, Naya was more than ready for this.

Heather's breathy laugh played over Naya's ear. She moved the material of the bikini to the side and slid her slender finger through Naya's folds. Both girls gasped at the contact, which was weeks overdue, and Naya bucked into her hand. "Please," she breathed. "Heather-"

The rest of her sentence was cut short as Heather sank her middle finger deep into Naya. Naya's back arced, nearly exposing her bare breasts to the open air, and Heather had to wrap her free arm around Naya's waist to keep her grounded as she slid the single digit out and pushed it back in.

Naya's breath left her in ragged huffs and she moaned as the finger curled as it bottomed; she was so close already. "More."

On her next thrust, Heather added a finger, and Naya whined. Heather sped up, thrust, curl, and tried to keep Naya from joining the rhythm, not wanting to make waves and attract attention. "You need to be still."

"Can't," Naya whimpered. "So close…"

Heather's fingers slowed and Naya nearly screamed. Then, her other hand sneaked down and a finger brushed over Naya's clit, and Heather sped up. Naya, now seeing stars, lifted her hips and, needing something to do with her own hands, brought them to her breasts and pinched and pulled her own nipples, hypnotizing Heather. Heather moaned at the sight of Naya playing with herself, the sound muffled by Naya's shoulder.

"Heather, please," Naya begged. Heather thrust in as far and as hard as she could, curled her fingers, and pressed hard on Naya's clit. Naya's toes curled and she bit down on Heather's jaw as she came. Heather held her to limit her thrashing and continued to slide in and out slowly, bringing Naya down.

Finally, as Naya's breathing slowed, Heather pulled out and ran comforting hands over her arms. "You okay?"

"Better than okay," Naya said. She kissed Heather's cheek fondly.

Heather pushed Naya forward and retied her top, finishing just as Jeremy ran past them and jumped on the diving board. He crashed hard into the water beside them, rocking their chair, and surfaced under them, sending both girls face first into the water. Heather jumped up and onto his back and managed to wrestle him under the water. He surfaced mere seconds later, his hand on top of Heather's head to hold her under the water.

Now that her entire body didn't feel like jelly, Naya laughed and surged forward. Jeremy caught her mid-air, allowing Heather to come up. "Well, hey there little missy," he drawled in an exaggerated country accent before tossing her effortlessly at Heather. Heather caught her and they both toppled back under the water.

Above them, the muffled laughs of the adults didn't matter. Heather grabbed Naya's waist and pulled her forward. Naya wrapped her legs tightly around Heather's waist and her arms tightly around Heather's head. Her lips sought Heather's, immediately seeking entrance, which was enthusiastically granted. Their tongues slid easily over each other's. Naya's lungs burned, but Heather sucked on her tongue, and suddenly it didn't matter much. That is, until Jeremy grabbed them by their biceps. They reluctantly pulled apart and he pulled them up.

"Whoa, you girls have a death wish?"

They shared a smile.

\-----

The rest of their day was spent wrestling with Jeremy. When six thirty rolled around, John and Liz headed off to dinner and a movie and Heather and Naya climbed into the jeep for the long drive home. They held hands over the console, the silence broken only when Naya leaned over to nip Heather's ear or jaw and whisper dirty things that made pale cheeks flush.

When they finally made it back, Naya dropped their bag by the door and dragged Heather up the stairs roughly by her hand; by the sounds of it, they were finally getting the house to themselves for several hours, and Naya intended to make good use of it.

Naya whirled around on the top step and Heather bumped into her, instinctively grabbing Naya's waist to steady them. Now at the same level, Naya didn't have to stand on her tip-toes or use Heather's shoulders to pull herself up when she crushed their lips together.

"Where are we going in such a rush?" Heather asked coyly when Naya pulled back.

Naya worked her hands under Heather's top, tugged it over her head, and tossed it to the side. "Bed," she muttered against Heather's neck. Heather groaned. "Now."

Naya pulled away and continued pulling Heather to the bedroom. Once there, she shut and locked the door, just in case. When she turned around, Heather slammed her hard against the door and tangled her fingers in Naya's hair as their lips met in the most heated kiss they had shared. Their tongues battled, and Heather's still wet bathing suit top soaked through Naya's shirt.

Wanting to repay Heather for earlier, but clearly losing the battle for dominance, Naya worked a knee between Heather's legs and pressed hard against her. Heather gasped. Her knees nearly buckled, but she seemed to get the hint.

Naya pushed Heather towards the bed. Heather climbed backwards until she could lay her head on her pillow and Naya crawled on top of her. She pulled her lips from Heather's to trail them down Heather's neck, the valley of her breasts, and she sat back to tug Heather's shorts off.

Naya straddled Heather's hips. Her fingers traced over quivering abs. She leaned down to let her breath tickle them as she talked. "You know I never officially apologized." She licked a wet path around Heather's navel and Heather moaned. "For everything I did to you." She nipped Heather's skin lightly. "All the pain that I caused you." She kissed her way back up to Heather's mouth. She lifted Heather up to slowly untie the top at Heather's neck. "And I know that this won't make up for it, but-"

"Look, if we're going to talk about this now, you're going to have to stop everything that you're doing so I can focus." Naya actually looked torn. Heather held her top up to her chest and used her stomach muscles to lift up and kiss Naya.

"I'm sorry," Naya said. "For all I did, all I said."

"Shh," Heather shushed, fingers playing over Naya's neck. "These past few months? You've more than made up for it. You stand up for me at school, you eat lunch with me and my friends…you're my _friend_ , and you're not embarrassed about it. That's all I ask."

"What are we?" Naya traced the top of Heather's bikini distractedly and Heather batted her hand away. Since they were talking, although this was not really the ideal time, Naya figured she should ask. "I mean…are we just friends? Are we fuck buddies? Or are we girlfriends?"

Heather stroked Naya's chin with her finger. "We're whatever you want us to be," she whispered, and Naya could hear the tears in her voice. "I've made it clear what I want."

Naya grabbed Heather's hand and kissed her fingers. "So it's up to me now." Heather nodded. "I've loved you since I was eight. And that's why I hated you." Heather nodded. "My mom was already becoming detached, and I didn't really think I'd ever need or want anyone. And then you, the new girl, came in and stole my fucking heart with that stupid smile. And it scared me. I thought if I belittled you it would go away. You know, maybe I could find a legitimate flaw or something in you. But I didn’t, and it didn't go away. It grew. And now I want nothing more than for you to be mine. So will you? Be my girlfriend?"

Heather nodded, a tear cascading down her cheek, and simply said, "Yes," before moving Naya's hands back to her top.

Moving with renewed vigor and a new purpose, Naya tossed the top to the side. She wrapped one arm around Heather's back and lowered her mouth to Heather's left breast and closed her mouth around the nipple, her left hand kneading the other, and Heather threaded her fingers in Naya's hair to hold her in place. Naya bit the base of the nipple and rolled her tongue over the tip. Heather whined and canted her hips up. Naya flicked her tongue once more before pulling back. She pushed Heather down, made quick work of her bottoms, and kissed Heather hungrily. She pulled Heather's bottom lip between her own, sucked lightly on it, and released. Heather drew a shaky breath.

Naya reached down and traced Heather's folds, and Heather's mouth fell open. "Have you done this before?" Naya whispered uncertainly.

"Twice," Heather gasped. "Neither was really enjoyable. You?"

"Once, and not with a girl." Then, she pushed two digits smoothly into Heather and the girl arced.

"Oh, god," she groaned as the fingers pumped in and out and Naya kissed her pelvis. The digits disappeared, but before Heather's could miss them, Naya's tongue was on her.

Heather lifted her hips as Naya's tongue stroked her relentlessly. She fisted Naya's hair in one hand and her bed sheets in the other. Naya flicked the tip of her tongue over Heather's clit, making the girl jerk, before wrapping her lips around the bundle of nerves. She shoved two fingers back into Heather and sucked roughly.

"God," she groaned into Heather's skin. She curled her fingers. "You're so wet."

"So close," Heather panted. A sheen of sweat coated her body, and Naya gave one final thrust, curled her fingers as much as she could, hitting _that_ spot, and bit Heather's clit lightly. Heather's thighs tightened around her head and she gave a violent jerk. Her mouth dropped open in a silent cry and Naya continued to lick, catching every drop of Heather until she stopped moving.

Naya pulled out and crawled back up Heather's body. She sucked her fingers into her mouth, making Heather moan, and leaned down. She wasted no time in invading Heather's mouth with her tongue, letting her taste herself.

Heather flipped them over. "Mmm," she said, hovering over Naya's lips. "I bet you taste better." Naya groaned at the insinuation. "Get ready; it's going to be a long night."


	11. Chapter 11

For the first time in weeks, Naya woke up alone. She was cold and sore from head to foot, and, as she blindly reached for Heather, she nearly sobbed; yesterday could not have been a dream. Naya refused to believe it. Naya buried her face in her pillow for a few moments, taking time to assess her aching body to assure herself that, no, there was no way that her time with Heather had been a dream.

Naya rolled out of bed and pulled on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants. As she walked, she pivoted at her hips, working the kinks from her back. It was early, the sun was just barely illuminating the rooms that Naya passed, and no matter how hard she thought, Naya couldn't come up with a reason for Heather to be up this early.

Naya trudged into the kitchen and her heart raced; Heather was sitting at the table, her face in her hands, and Liz was leaning dejectedly on the sink, staring out of the window and over the back yard. The worst scenarios ran through Naya's mind as she continued to stare at Liz's heartbroken face. Had Liz walked in on them as they lay naked, wrapped up in each other? Had Liz returned earlier than expected and heard them?

Naya had just gotten Heather, like officially _got_ Heather; did she have to give her up already?

"Hey," Naya said slowly, stopping just inside the doorway. At the sound of her voice, Heather dropped her hands. To Naya's relief, she wasn't crying, but she looked like she could start at any moment. She smiled and – as if Naya's ego needed to be any bigger – it seemed like Naya might have been Heather's only beacon of hope. "What's going on?" Her eyes searched Heather's, and, finally, a tear fell from a blue eye.

Liz turned from the sink – too sharply for Naya's liking – and smiled at Naya. "Good morning," she said after taking a deep, cleansing breath. "How did you sleep?"

_Trick question_? "Great." She blushed as images from the previous night flashed in her mind's eye. "Why is everyone upset?"

Liz strode forward, her left hand outstretched enthusiastically. "John proposed," she gushed. "It was so romantic and-"

"Mom."

The scowl returned to Liz's face. "And Heather isn't happy about it, apparently."

At the table, Heather crossed her arms and scoffed. She sat back lazily. " _Apparently_. I don't see why you need him, anyways."

"He makes me happy."

"And I don't?"

Liz turned to face her daughter. "Heather, you know it's not the same thing!" Heather set her jaw. "Heather, sooner or later, you'll be moving on and starting your own family, just like April. What am I to do then? Just sit here all alone?"

Naya stepped forward. "I thought we talked about this," she said quietly, hoping her words would calm her girlfriend enough so that she could be rational. "Remember, we were going to be supportive because Liz is happy?"

The phone rang and Liz took it from the cradle and stepped out of the room to answer it.

"That was before she decided to marry him!" Heather called after Liz.

Naya jerked Heather's chair out from under the table and turned it so that she could kneel between Heather's knees. She threaded their fingers together and held tightly. "You're being a brat," she said matter-of-factly.

"Fuck you."

Though stunned by the quiet words, Naya couldn't help but smirk in amusement. "That comes later." She kissed Heather's knuckles, noting that her hands were shaking with her anger.

"I should have known you'd take her side," Heather whispered as more tears fell.

"I'm not taking sides," Naya insisted desperately. "But someone loses either way…but you've got to understand that Liz has more to lose than you do." Heather shook her head and looked away. She tried to pull her hands from Naya, but Naya held tighter, not caring at this point if she hurt Heather. She just needed Heather to get it. "Are we really going to fight? Because I didn't picture our first day of being official like this…" Heather said nothing.

Liz returned and sat the phone back into its cradle. "John is coming over-"

"Surprise, surprise."

"-and I think that it would be a good idea if the two of you sat down and talked."

Heather rose quickly, nearly toppling Naya, and clenched her fists. "I don't want to talk to him."

"I know you'd like him if-"

"Go ahead and have your wedding," Heather spat as she stormed off. "But don't expect me to be there."

Naya stood and watched Heather run up the stairs. Liz released a sad sigh. "If she'd give him a chance…"

"I know," Naya said. She wasn't particularly fond of John, but Liz was happy, and ultimately that was what mattered. "But, then again, I know how she feels…"

Liz drew her lips into a thin line before continuing. "You know…before John came along I was a mess." She paused to sniff. "David was the love of my life. He was fun, he was sweet, he adored April and Heather. David was the glue that held this family together." Naya nodded. "Then he was gone. It wasn't exactly sudden but…well, how do you prepare for something like that?"

Naya shook her head. "You can't. You don't."

"Right afterwards, April got pregnant, and she and Jeremy decided to move out. Heather was closer to David than April, so naturally she was more upset. She was getting tattoos and piercings behind my back and throwing herself into dance camps all the way across the country, you know, that rebellious part of mourning I guess. I had lost my husband, and I felt like I was losing my daughters too. I was depressed. And then I met John at the hospital and…everything seemed to get a little brighter day by day."

The story sounded painfully familiar in several parts but one major one: Angie Rivera had settled. She'd gotten depressed and became an alcoholic, sleeping with every man that looked her way. That's where Liz and Angie were different, Naya supposed. Liz had been more worried about her family splitting apart and Angie had only cared about her own pain, selfishly ignoring the fact that the Rivera family had crumbled at its foundation.

Naya took a deep breath. "Liz," she said. "I know what's wrong with Heather. And with just a little bit of information, and I guess some permission, from you, I can fix her."

\-----

Naya took the stairs two at a time. Liz had been hesitant to tell her what she wanted to know, but after some coaxing, she'd finally given in. Naya liked to think that, after these few weeks, Liz trusted her enough to know that what Naya had planned would help Heather begin to heal.

When Naya entered their shared room, Heather was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. Naya knelt on the floor in front of Heather and placed her hands in the bends of Heather's elbows. She rested her forehead against the top of Heather's head.

"I'm sorry," Heather mumbled. "For what I said. It was uncalled for."

Naya rubbed Heather's arms. "Well, yeah, it was. But it's okay, partially because you will be fucking me later, but mostly because I understand. I understand why you're upset. So I'm going to take you on a little trip."

Heather lifted her head. "A trip?" Naya nodded. "A trip to where?"

Naya hummed and leaned in to kiss Heather quickly. "You'll see," she whispered against pouting lips. "First you gotta get in the car."

Heather tried to pull Naya closer, but Naya stood up. "But I'd really much rather stay here," Heather said. She grabbed for Naya's hand to pull her back down, but Naya dodged her efforts. "Naya," she whined.

"Nope," Naya said. She pulled Heather up and out the door. "C'mon, it'll be good for you, and I promise that you will end up liking it."

"Promise?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" Naya asked as they bounded down the stairs. At Heather's hesitation, she said, "Never mind."

Just as they reached the bottom, the door opened and John stepped into the house. He spotted them and smiled. "Hey there, girls, where's Liz?" He held his fist up for a fist bump as Heather breezed past him, but she ignored it and John scowled.

Naya sighed and stared after Heather. "Liz is probably in the kitchen."

John pointed in the direction that Heather fled. "Where is she going? I want to sit and have a talk with her about Liz and me."

Naya grabbed the keys to the jeep from the key hook and bypassed John to stand on the porch. She watched Heather stomp across the yard, enter the garage, and slam the door behind her. She turned back to John. "Needless to say, Heather is upset by this whole thing." John heaved a defeated sigh. "But I have an idea that I think will help her process this situation a bit better. I just need a few hours." John nodded and Naya followed Heather.

In the garage, Heather was leaning with her arms crossed against the driver's door. Naya stood in front of her. "Could you be any more petulant?"

"Probably," Heather said. "If I tried hard enough, I'm sure I could pull something off." She held her hand out for the car key, but Naya pulled them out of her reach.

"Nope," Naya said. "It's the passenger seat for you."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's a surprise. Now go." The truth was, as soon as Heather realized where they were going, Naya knew that she'd turn around. And she'd probably be really angry. This way, with Naya driving, the only way that Heather could stop her would be to jump out of a moving car.

"Fine," Heather said and rounded to hop in. When they were both seated, buckled in, and Naya had pulled out the slip of paper with hand-written directions, Heather reached for the paper, which was quickly tucked between Naya's seat and the door. "Where are we going?"

"That's for me to know." Naya backed out of the garage.

"But-"

"Not gonna tell you a thing."

"Why do you need directions, though," Heather asked.

Without meaning to, Naya pulled a bitch face. "Because I don't know how to get to where we're going, duh." Heather frowned. "Look, I'm sorry." Naya retrieved the paper and held it between her thigh and the door. "But it's a surprise; I don't want it to be ruined for you." Heather nodded and turned to watch the trees pass by her window.

They drove through the city and past its opposite limit. Almost an hour passed, and Heather had become increasingly restless as landmarks became more and more familiar to her. She sat up straighter and her eyes darted as the church came into view. "Naya." Naya continued to stare ahead. "Naya, stop the car."

"Heather, I really think that-"

"Naya, no," Heather whimpered. "Please, turn around."

"Heather-"

"Take me home," Heather begged. "Please."

Naya turned and the desperate tears in Heather's eyes almost made her crack. She shook her head and willed her own tears away. "No, Heather," she whispered. "You need to do this."

The dirt road led past the church, past an old crumbling building, and through a wooded area. When the cemetery was finally in view, Heather sobbed. "I can't," she whispered. "Naya, please. Don't make me."

Naya parked the car at the end of a row of headstones and killed the engine. She turned in her seat to face Heather. "Listen to me," she said. Heather shook her head and leaned it against her window. "It's been four years. It's time you confronted this. You need to do this to move on."

Heather sobbed again and clenched her eyes tightly to stop her tears. Naya watched, torn between pulling through with making Heather do this and turning the car around to pretend like this never happened. But Heather would have to do this sooner or later because holding all of her emotions in wasn't healthy. Finally, Heather opened her eyes and stared out over the stones. Some were old, crumbling. Others looked as though they'd just been placed within minutes of the two of them arriving; but no matter how she spun it, no matter how Naya tried to picture them, the stones all meant the same thing.

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course…but…" Naya rubbed Heather's elbow. "Are you sure?"

Heather nodded. "I can't do this alone." Before Naya could answer her, Heather climbed out of the car. Naya followed suit, but fell back as Heather walked the rows of stones. Liz had said that Heather hadn't been here in four years, not since the funeral, and Naya guessed that Heather wasn't really sure of where He rested.

Heather walked slowly, surveying the stones quietly. Finally, she veered off into a completely different direction, and Naya realized that Heather had just been preparing herself, taking time to ready herself. The sun, already almost unbearably warm, became obscured by clouds as Heather knelt by a wide stone, adorned by a cross on its top. Naya hung back, close enough to hear if Heather needed her, and read the writings on the stones.

From the corner of her eye, Naya watched Heather reach out and trace the engraved letters.

_David Heath Morris_  
March 22, 1965 – June 14, 2007  
Son. Husband. Father.  
Thank you for your courage.  
God give us strength in our lives without you 

Heather was silent, and Naya mentally willed her to say something; that's what they were here for.

"I…" Heather stopped and looked around for a moment. Naya stared at the back of her head. "I don't know what to do."

Naya remained silent, unclear whether Heather was talking to her or not. She observed quietly, intently.

"I, uh…guess I should just…talk?" Heather looked back to Naya. Naya nodded, her heart breaking at the tears rolling down Heather's cheeks.

"You can do this, Heather," she coached.

Heather turned back and dropped down to her knees. "Well. Dad…" Her shoulders shuddered, trying to hold back her sob. "I'm sorry I haven't, like…visited or anything. But this has been really hard for me. You were my best friend." Heather exhaled shakily. "My only friend."

Naya bit her lip, guilt creeping up again; it was her fault. All of it. Heather hadn't had friends and it was her fault because she had been insecure about her feelings. Heather turned to look at her again and said, "Stop. I know what you're thinking. But this isn't about that." Naya nodded and Heather swiped her hands under her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Naya added for good measure, but Heather ignored her.

Heather shifted so that she could sit cross legged. "It gets harder everyday, dad. I hate coming home and knowing that I won't be able to tell you about my day…especially when it's been a bad day. But I don't have many of those anymore." Heather laughed and an easy smile crept onto Naya's face. "I mean, I haven't exactly made a lot of friends, you know, but no one really screams 'nerd' at me now, and I haven't been tripped in months. School is a lot easier these days."

Naya lent back against the headstone behind her, gripping the edge hard.

"But, dad…" Heather paused to clear her throat. "Dad, the thing is…mom has someone new now. And I tried to like him, really I did, but he's such a fucking douche bag, I swear. I know you'd hate him so bad." Heather took a deep breath. "But…he makes mom happy, I guess. I mean, she smiles a lot, and she laughs now." Heather hung her head and her voice betrayed the resignation that she now felt. "And that's what matters. He's never hit her; he's never called her names or anything. Maybe…maybe this is what's supposed to happen. Maybe I should stop fighting it."

Naya smiled and nodded to herself, happy that her plan was finally coming together. Heather's problem all the years that she had rebelled, all the years that she had closed herself in, was that she hadn't dealt with her father's death. She hadn't come here to talk to him, to help herself move on, because she wanted to be stuck in the past, in times where David was still with her.

Heather turned and held her hand out to Naya. Naya walked up and took it, and Heather pulled her into her lap. Naya wrapped her arms around Heather's neck and looked at the dark gray stone. Heather laid her head on Naya's shoulder. "I'm not alone anymore, dad." Naya squeezed her shoulder when she heard thick tears in Heather's voice, and Heather wrapped her arms tightly around Naya's waist. "This is Naya. She's my girlfriend, and…these few weeks, she's made me happier than I have been since you left."

Naya rested her head on Heather's, not really believing what she was hearing. Thinking that it would be beneficial to Heather if she said something, Naya quietly added, "I promise that I will take good care of your daughter Mr. Morris. She means the world to me, even if I didn't act like it in the past."

"So, dad," Heather said. "I think we can both rest happy now." She sobbed. "I love you." It was all that she could manage before she buried her face in Naya's neck. Naya stroked her hair and face, pulling herself as close as she could manage. Tears wet her neck, and Heather shook with silent sobs, and Naya suspected that she had never _really_ cried over this.

Finally, Heather pulled away and wordlessly pushed Naya up. She kissed her hand and placed it over the engraved rose over her father's name. Then, she silently weaved back to the car. Naya dutifully followed.

The drive back was silent; Heather wouldn't turn her gaze from the passing trees, and didn't offer a hand for Naya to grab onto. Naya was beginning to worry that the other girl was mad at her. When she turned into the drive way, it was nearly noon, and John's car was still there.

As soon as the door was opened, Heather headed straight for the entertainment room where Liz and John were watching TV. Naya stood back as Heather stepped in front of John and held out her hand. He looked at it, confused. "I'm not ready to hug you yet," Heather said. John scooted closer to the edge of the couch. "But I wanted you to know that I would love to have you as my step-dad." John grinned and wordlessly took Heather's hand to shake. Liz folded her hands in front of her face and looked up in silent prayer as Heather left the room.

"Thank you, Naya," John said quietly.

"Yes," Liz added tearfully. "Thank you so much."

Naya nodded, smiled, and turned to go upstairs.

\-----

Lea prodded at her food, watching cautiously as Dianna tore into the twice-baked potato on her own plate.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Dianna said around a mouthful, and Lea couldn't help but smile.

"I will, I just…don't understand what this is."

Dianna stopped. "It's vegan lasagna…"

Lea laughed lightly. "No, I know," she said quietly, then gestured between them. "I mean this…why you asked me to do this…why I accepted."

"Well you should eat while you figure it out," Dianna said between chewing. "It's not good cold."

Lea, still skeptical, raked a forkful of Dianna's homemade lasagna into her mouth; it was probably the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted. "Oh my god."

"Well, I don't mean to pat myself on the back," Dianna said with a smirk.

Dianna had asked her on Friday afternoon if she could possibly come over and 'hang out'. While she and Lea had been on pretty good terms lately, Lea hadn't thought that they were ready for the address and phone number exchanging portion of their friendship. Nevertheless, she had agreed and had hesitantly handed over her address written on a slip of paper. Then she'd dutifully paced her house the entire weekend; Dianna hadn't told her exactly when she'd arrive, just that she'd drop by 'over the weekend'.

Come Sunday afternoon, Lea had begun to feel as though she'd somehow been stood up when the doorbell had rang and there Dianna was, picnic basket in hand, claiming that it was 'too damn hot' for a real outdoors picnic, so she thought that maybe they could stay in and eat and chat.

So they had ended up pulling Lea's coffee table out into the middle of the floor, unloading the picnic basket (full of Lea's favorite foods – how Dianna knew that, Lea wasn't quite sure), and sitting on opposite sides to indulge themselves.

"You are an amazing cook," Lea said. Dianna beamed, which, whoa, totally unexpected.

"Thank you."

Lea laid her fork down – it took a couple of tries because she didn't want to stop eating – to regard Dianna. "Can I ask you something?" Dianna nodded. "Why did you do all of this?"

Dianna begrudgingly put her utensils down. "You mean why did I make a meal and bring it over as quickly as possible so that it wouldn't get cold so that I could have a nice dinner with you?" Lea nodded. "You don't do this with all of your friends?"

"No," Lea said honestly. "And I suspect that you don't either."

Dianna sighed and reached forward to take Lea's hand across the width of the table. "Look, I know that Heather and Naya already aren't that happy with our…very spontaneous friendship." Lea nodded. Heather hadn't been happy at all to hear that Lea had been socializing with the girl who had almost broken her face beyond repair, and had had to hold Naya back from doing the same to Lea. "But, how unhappy do you think they would be if I were to…say…ask you to be my girlfriend?"

Lea's jaw dropped and she tried to keep the hand in Dianna's grasp from shaking. Never in a million years would she have expected _that_. It was a bit unorthodox, this girl sitting across from her, holding her hand and posing this ridiculous question when just weeks ago they despised each other. "Um…what?"

"If I asked you," Dianna said. "To be my girlfriend, I mean. How many people would hate us?"

"Um…" Lea licked her lips. "I guess that depends on my answer."

Diana smiled. "So, hypothetically, if I asked you, what would your answer be? Hypothetically."

Lea took her hand back and Dianna frowned, but didn't take her own hand back. "I would say no. Hypothetically."

"What?" Dianna nearly yelled. "Why?"

"Dianna, you have done awful things," Lea said loudly. "And yes, we've been somewhat friends these last few weeks, but a few weeks of friendship cannot simply erase four years of hateful torment."

"Lea," Dianna said desperately, reaching for a hand that was promptly pulled away.

"Dianna, what happened to the girl that I used to know?" Lea asked. She stood to look down at Dianna. "The girl that picked my books up for me in the ninth grade. I want that girl back."

"Lea-"

"You were so nice." Lea crossed her arms tightly at the memory. "You were so sweet to me. Do you remember that time sitting in World History class, I looked over at you and you were staring at me, and you looked away." Dianna averted her eyes. "But then you looked back, but I hadn't looked away. And you smiled. Like, really smiled at me…what happened to you? It was like…you became a cheerleader. And nothing mattered anymore but popularity, and-"

Dianna jumped up. "I'm trying to change!" Lea's mouth snapped shut at the outburst. "I'm trying to change for you. If I could take it back I would, and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if I have to."

Lea swallowed and took a step back. "Well, it's going to take longer than 5 weeks." Dianna's shoulders slumped. "I love you, Dianna. But I can't do this…not this early."

"But Lea-"

"Dianna…please leave."

"Are…" Dianna swallowed and stepped forward. "Are you sure? Can we just pretend I didn't say anything?"

Lea shook her head. "I'm sorry, Dianna." Dianna nodded solemnly. "I think it would be best if you left."

Dianna sighed and strode past Lea. "You can, uh…you can keep the food." She turned at the door and fidgeted with her fingers. "You can have it all."

"Are you-"

"I'm positive." Then, she turned and left without another word.

Lea listened as Dianna started her Viper and revved the engine. Her eyes slipped closed.

_So close. So, so close_.

\-----

Naya's eyes popped open. In her sleep, she'd gotten the strangest tingle, the one that said _wake up, stupid, someone's watching you_. She turned to look over her shoulder. Heather had propped her head up on her fist. She was twirling a lock of Naya's hair absently as she stared down at her. They'd gone to bed without saying a word to each other all afternoon and had fallen asleep on opposite sides of the bed. Naya's worry had begun to turn to panic.

"Hey," Naya said, rubbing her eyes.

"Hi," Heather whispered. Her mouth turned up into a barely-there smile. 

Naya rolled over and scooted closer. Heather's hand dropped to rest between them, her finger drawing patterns on the sheets. "You okay?"

Heather nodded, but her eyes stayed on her moving finger. "Yeah. Just…thinking."

Naya snaked an arm between Heather and the mattress and pulled her girlfriend closer. She dropped kisses all over Heather's face. "Thinking about what?" She whispered against fluttering eyelids. She felt Heather's smile grow under her chin.

"You." Naya moved back, but Heather followed to nuzzle her cheek with her nose.

"Me, huh?" Naya asked, trailing a finger down the valley of Heather's breasts.

"Mhm," Heather breathed. She kissed Naya's jaw.

"What about me?" Naya asked, hoping her voice didn't give away how insecure she felt about that.

Heather rubbed the arm draped across her waist affectionately and brought their foreheads together. "About how much I love you."

Naya pulled away. "You…you do?"

Heather smiled and nodded. Naya's heart swelled, pleased that Heather was finally comfortable enough to say the words. "You did an amazing thing for me. I was too scared to do it, but you were smart enough to plan it and force me to go through with it." Naya's heart swelled some more, knowing she'd never get tired of being told she was smart. "I love you."

"I love you too." Naya kissed Heather deeply, her tongue immediately pushing through Heather's lips. "You're so beautiful," she whispered between kisses.

Heather pulled away. Her eyes were misty again and her face was red. "Really? You mean it?"

Naya tucked Heather's hair behind her ear, letting her fingertips linger on the soft skin of her neck. "I do. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Heather smiled and pulled Naya on top of her. "Well, I guess you'll just have to find a way to make it up to me."

Naya smirked as she leaned down to kiss Heather. "Yes, ma'am."


	12. Chapter 12

"The talent show is next Thursday."

"…yeah."

"You don't have a song do you?"

"…nope."

Heather laughed and stirred the pot one last time. She set the spoon back onto the stove and turned to Naya. "Do you need help?"

Naya thought for a moment, her fingers drumming on the table. "I have an idea. Kind of."

"Well?" Heather sat across from Naya and took her hand to still her fingers. They were home alone, again, for a few days.

"I was hoping to surprise you with something," Naya said shyly.

Heather grinned. "Oh really?"

Naya nodded and squeezed Heather's hand. "Mark suggested 'Songbird', but I don't think I want to do that. Too sappy."

Zack Morris jumped onto the table and Heather petted him with her free hand as she pondered Naya's options. For the past few days, Heather had had a lot on her mind. Exams were the upcoming Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and the talent show was on Thursday afternoon. Preparing Naya for those, plus trying to find a way to really show Naya how much she appreciated what she had done for her…well, it was a lot of pressure on Heather.

Naya squeezed her hand again, pulling Heather out of her thoughts. "Hey, don't worry too much about it," Naya said. "I know you're trying to help, but I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do."

"I just want you to do well," Heather said. She pulled Naya's hand to her mouth and kissed it. "And win."

Naya smiled and cupped Heather's face with the hand that had been in Heather's grasp. "I know, honey," she whispered. "But I think you're already running yourself ragged with exams; preparing two people can't be easy. So don't fret about it anymore. Okay?"

Heather nodded and smiled.

After dinner, they stretched out together on the couch. Watching _The Back-Up Plan_ , Heather and Naya ended up engaged in a conversation that neither thought they'd have for a few years.

"I just…really don't want kids."

Heather snuggled further back into Naya and hummed. "But you love kids." It wasn't really a huge deal, but now that they were talking, Heather was curious.

"Well, yeah, I know," Naya said. She squeezed Heather tighter. "But I don't personally want any."

"Why not?"

"Is this going to end up being a _thing_?" Naya asked skeptically. "Because I don't want to fight…"

Heather tangled her fingers with Naya's over her abdomen. "No, you're allowed to not want kids. I'm just curious since we're on the subject."

Naya sighed. She tucked her chin onto Heather's shoulder and rested her head against Heather's. "I don't want to make the same mistakes my parents made," she admitted quietly. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

Heather pulled away and turned to lean her forehead against Naya's temple. She kissed Naya's cheek. "You're not your parents." Naya closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of just having Heather so close. "Their mistakes are theirs. Not yours."

"Yeah, but…" Naya took a deep breath. "These things repeat and I just-"

"It's okay that you don't want kids," Heather said again, and Naya nodded. "But I want you to understand that you're not your mom, and you're not your dad. What they did is their fault, and if you don't want it to, it won't repeat in you."

Naya opened her eyes and, grabbing the remote beside of her, stopped the DVD. "Can we just change the subject and the movie?"

Heather nodded and rose to grab a horror movie. "Okay," she said. She selected a movie and popped it in, but was surprised when she turned around and saw that Naya had all but folded into herself, taking up as little space as possible. She stared blankly ahead at the television, and Heather sat on the opposite end of the couch. She drew her knees to her chest as the beginning of the movie played and just watched Naya. Her girlfriend was lost in thought, her mood obviously dampened, and Heather felt bad, even though she hadn't even been the one to bring up the subject.

"I'm sorry," Heather whispered, and Naya's head shot up to look at her. "Please don't be mad?"

Naya slid down and opened her arms. Heather crawled on top of her and laid her head on Naya's shoulder. "I'm not mad," Naya said into her hair. "I promise."

Heather nodded and sank further into Naya and smiled.

She'd finally figured out how to repay Naya.

\-----

It happened the next day. It was shocking, and terrifying, and never in a million years did Naya picture it happening to her.

Naya was standing at her locker alone, working the combination dial when a large shadow fell over her. At first, she'd thought that it was Mark, but he was too tall, too burly, and when she turned around she was shocked to see defensive lineman Jake Davis glaring down at her.

"Um." Her eyes darted left and right. The hall had gotten quiet, the only sound being curious whispers and rude snickers. Naya wasn't very well liked anymore, mainly because of her falling out with Dianna. Rumors spread like fire, all of them pegging Naya as the bad guy, but no one had really said anything to her. She and Heather weren't out, obviously, but they had held hands and linked pinkies, and no one liked that. But through the dirty looks, Heather had been there to hold her hand; now, Heather was busy talking to some teacher about extra credit or some shit and Naya was alone. "Can I help you?"

"You can tell me why you've gone dyke."

Gasps rang out and Naya could feel her face paling. "I…what…"

Jake took a step forward and Naya pressed herself back against her locker. There weren't many people she was afraid of, but this dude, a guy who had spent his entire life shooting steroids and lifting weights, a guy who was twice the size of Mark? Yeah, she was pretty fucking scared. "Don't play dumb. You're sleeping with that nerd."

"Hey." She tried to keep her voice from trembling. "Whatever this is, it's between me and you. You leave Heather out of it."

More giggles rang out, and Naya knew; everyone had figured them out, and they weren't going to be as nice to them as they were to Mark and Chris.

"Why does it matter?" She asked. She looked around at everyone but tried to keep half an eye on Jake. "Huh?" She just wished Mark would pop up right now.

"You spent so much time turning everyone against that nerd, and now you're dating her?" Jake asked. "I'm going to be the first to be honest and say that that bitch is hot. I admit it. But you made everyone so afraid to get to know her and shit. I mean…I coulda had her, you know? Someone deserving could have had her, but she ended up with you. How does that happen? How do you get the girl you tortured for so long?"

"Wait," Naya said, holding up her hands. "All of this is because you want my girlfriend?"

Jake shook his head. "No, this is because you're a bitch. You're a hypocrite. And someone has to put you in your place."

Before Naya could think of a witty, sarcastic comeback, Jake's fist was hurtling towards her face. His hairy knuckles plowed into her nose, and almost instantly she could feel blood gushing from it. Naya crumpled to the ground. She could hear gasps and whoops of cheers. Covering her bleeding nose, with tears prickling her eyes, Naya looked up; Jake was pulling his fist back again, ready to deliver another blow.

She didn't want to show weakness, but damn that had hurt. Just as she was ducking her head, a flash of blonde caught her eye and she whipped her head back up in time to see a slender body slam hard into Jake, sending both crashing to the floor. Screams rang out. Jake rolled, sending Heather's willowy frame against the lockers hard. More responsible students ran to get teachers as an angry wail rang loud. Naya wanted to get up, she wanted to make sure that Heather was okay, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Dianna as her old friend pounded on Jake just as he was reaching for Heather.

Holding her lower back, Heather rose slowly to her feet and took a few wobbly steps towards the struggling pair. "No!" Dianna yelled at her, and she froze. Dianna had wrapped herself about Jake's upper half, her arms wound tightly around his neck. "Go! Get out of here!"

Heather looked from Naya, who was still holding her nose, to Dianna, and then to Mark, who had just burst through the throng of people. Heather jerked her head at Naya, and seeing the blood seeping though her fingers was all it took for Mark to join Dianna in holding Jake down. "You fucking asshole!" He grunted, bringing his fist down against Jake's nose.

"Go!" Dianna said to Heather again. "We've got this." Teachers were starting to emerge through the crowd, and Heather reached down to pull Naya up, trying not to lose the contents of her stomach; Naya's nose and the immediate area were already a sick shade of green and yellow. She wrapped her arms around Naya and led her through everyone and to the nurse's office.

"What happened?" Heather asked hysterically. Naya sat in a hard plastic chair and Heather fought to pull her hands from her face. She cringed when she saw the blood. "Oh god."

"I was just at my locker," Naya gurgled. Heather looked around, but the nurse was nowhere to be found. "He just came up and started insulting me, calling me a dyke and telling me that I don't deserve you."

Heather grabbed a handful of Kleenex from the nurse's desk. She placed the wad over Naya's nose and pulled her head forward so the blood wouldn't drain down her throat. "That makes no sense," she said angrily. "Why does he care?"

A tear slipped down Naya's face. "He said you're hot," she said. Heather's face reddened.

"Well," she said quietly. "That's gross. Bestiality is illegal." Despite her pain, Naya smiled.

"Are you okay?" Naya asked. Heather pulled the Kleenex from Naya's face, her face paling slightly when the blood hadn't stopped. She threw the soiled material away and took another handful from the box.

"There'll be a bruise, but I'll live," she said dismissively.

"I'm gonna kill him,' Naya swore. She winced as Heather pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You're not going to kill him," Heather said around a laugh. "Where the fuck is the nurse?"

"Heather, he hurt you," Naya said angrily. "He put his ape hands on you. I'm going to kill him."

"Nay, stop." Naya wrapped her hands around Heather's neck softly and stroked the skin with her thumbs. Heather stared at her; the area around her nose was beginning to purple. "I'm okay. Really, I am."

Naya sighed and winced. "Is it broken?" She asked. Heather pulled the Kleenex away long enough to inspect and poke at Naya's nose. She shook her head.

"No," She said. "Not broken. But it's going to hurt for a while."

They were quiet for a while as Heather tried desperately to stop Naya's bleeding nose. The physical pain, however, didn't hurt nearly as bad as Jake's words. Did she really not deserve Heather? The thought had crossed her mind briefly a few times, but she had always been distracted by Heather's _everything_ before she could dwell too much on it. Now that it was out there she couldn't help but feel less than deserving.

Naya pulled Heather to her and rested their foreheads together (which was awkward because of the hand and the Kleenex between them). "Tell me I'm worth it," she whispered. Heather tried to pull away, but Naya refused to let go and she could see Heather's eyebrows furrow. "Tell me that I deserve you, that I deserve to be happy."

"If you didn't I wouldn't be here," Heather said incredulously. Naya's face scrunched and she shook her head, sending a jolt of pain through her nose. She finally allowed Heather to pull away. "Look at me," Heather whispered, and Naya did as she was told. "I love you so much. And you love me. That's enough." When Naya didn't respond, Heather sighed. "I…I have a surprise for you. I was going to wait until this weekend…but this obviously can't wait."

Heather smiled when Naya's eyes lit up. "You do?" Heather nodded. "A good surprise?" Naya's heart raced, hundreds of possibilities running though her mind.

Heather shrugged. "It's what you make of it," she said cryptically.

Though obviously discouraged that she wasn't going to get a hint, Naya's enthusiasm didn't subside. Heather pulled the Kleenex away one last time. The blood flow had finally stopped, so Heather side stepped to the sink and wet a paper towel. She cleaned the dried blood from Naya's face, and took her hand to lead her out of the school. The crowd had dispersed for classes, and Naya sidled closer to Heather.

"Do you think Dianna and Mark will get in trouble?" Naya asked. They broke through the double doors. The morning sun was already blazing, the air humid and uncomfortable.

Heather helped her into the car, and then climbed into the driver's seat. "Honestly, I think the best way to help them is for you to tell what happened." She started the car and backed out of her space. "Tell them what Jake did and that they were only trying to help."

"That was…really cool of Dianna," Naya said. She couldn't believe that the scene she had witnessed had involved Dianna, _nice Dianna_ , on their side.

"Yeah," Heather agreed. She reached over and took Naya's hand tightly. "It was." She'd been surprised to look up and see Dianna wrestling with Jake instead of jumping on her instead. She'd heard Dianna scream angrily, and had instantly recognized the sound. She had mentally prepared herself for a throw down, but it hadn't happened. "People change. But we already knew that." Heather glanced at her fondly and pulled Naya's hand to her mouth to kiss her knuckles.

Naya bounced in her seat, barely able to contain her excitement. "What's the surprise? Where are we going?"

Heather laughed as questions flew from Naya's mouth. "Shhhh," she shushed. "I can't tell you!"

"But-"

"No." Naya pouted. "We've got a long drive so you better settle in."

"I hate you."

"Love you too."

Naya threw her head back against the seat. "How long?" She whined.

"A good two and a half hours." Naya groaned. "Maybe more." Naya groaned again, louder this time.

"Am I going to like it?" Naya purred, leaning closer. Heather's cheeks colored at the insinuation, but she didn't say anything. "Aw, c'mon, give me a hint!"

Heather swallowed; Naya's hand was inching up her thigh. She grabbed the wandering digits and held them tightly. "Well, I'm sorry to say that it's not _that_."

Naya sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, a pout playing on her lips. "That's no fun."

Heather remained silent. Naya was most likely going to hate her. She would probably pitch a hell of a fit. But Heather had called, she had gotten the story – the true story – and she had set up this little surprise. It was up to Naya to take it from there. It was the only way that she could think to show Naya that she appreciated her help in coming to terms with her dad's death, and she just hoped Naya understood.

The drive seemed longer than it should have. Naya fired off questions and guesses rapidly, some of them hitting too close to the actual surprise for Heather's liking. She smiled, shook her head, pretended to contemplate, and pretended to give in, but for the entirety of the drive, Heather tried to remain silent, so she wouldn't let her nervousness show.

It was well after noon when Heather pulled past a sign that read _Pear Hill Estates_. Naya turned to watch it pass in amazement. "You didn't!" She squealed.

Heather turned confused, panicked eyes to her girlfriend. In hindsight, Heather thought that, duh, of course Naya would figure out the surprise once she saw the name of the place, but the rational part of her screamed to make sure. "Didn't what?"

"You bought us a house!"

Heather let out the breath she'd been holding and laughed. "Hardly," she said. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and glanced at it. She'd known how to get to the Estates, having passed them several times the past few years heading to April's. The layout of the roads in the development was like a maze; she'd been warned about that, and she had been given specific directions that were supposed to guide her from the very beginning of the development to her destination. She followed the curves of the road, took a left turn, and glanced down again. From the corner of her eye, Heather could see Naya becoming restless.

"Heather," she asked quietly. "Please tell me where we're going."

"Surprise," Heather mumbled, looking at the paper by her leg again. "I can't."

Naya watched the trees, the fancy houses, the ornamental mailboxes. She'd never been here before, but the further Heather drove into this ridiculous maze, the more she began to think she had an idea of what was happening. And she knew she didn't fucking like it.

"You tell me where we're going right now."

"By the tone of your voice," Heather said. She glanced left, the right, looking at house numbers. "I'd guess that you already know."

"Heather," Naya said seriously, grabbing for the sleeve of Heather's shirt. "Heather, do not."

Heather, finally finding the address, turned into the driveway. "Come on," she said, opening her door. "He's waiting."

"I'm not doing this," Naya said angrily. "And I'll never forgive you for planning this!"

Pain flashed in Heather's eyes, but she turned to Naya. "You'll thank me, I swear."

"I'm not going into that house." Naya looked out the passenger window. The house was built of white stone, the front door and shutters were painted black, and the sight made Naya queasy; how dare he get to live such a lavish life? "He abandoned me when I needed him most."

"Naya-"

"How could you betray me like this?" Naya snapped. Heather jumped at the outburst. "How could…how could you think I'd agree to this?"

"I agreed to talk to my dad," Heather said, stepping out of the car. "The least you could do is talk to yours."

Naya stepped out of the car and slammed her door hard. "Fine, but from here on out, I'm so fucking pissed I can't even."

Though rattled, Heather knew that by the end of the day, Naya would change her mind.

Naya crossed her arms tightly as Heather rang the doorbell. Heather slipped an arm around Naya, but Naya shrugged it off. Not to be discouraged, Heather hip bumped Naya. Naya chanced an angry glance at Heather and, when Heather winked playfully, she was barely able to contain her smile. _Damn her._

The doorknob rattled; Naya tensed. A girl, younger than the both of them, appeared. Her eyes, the same shape and color of Naya's, widened. Heather could see Naya's resolve crumbling already.

"Naya?" The girl asked, obviously not believing her eyes. "Nay…is that really you?"

Naya stared at the girl in front of her. Naya hadn't seen her in years, hadn't even spoken to her since she'd decided to move in with their father. This wasn't the same sister that had walked out angrily on their mother; Nickayla was practically a woman herself now. Naya's arms dropped to her sides as Nickayla lunged forward and wrapped her thin arms around her neck. Naya threw her arms around her sister's waist. She'd missed Nickayla, and just as she was wondering where Mychal was, his head popped out from around the door.

"Naya?" He asked, his eyes lighting up. "Dad!" He called behind himself and into the house. "Naya's here!" Then, he lunged forward, enveloping both of his sisters in his arms. Heather stepped to the side, giving the sibling trio room. Naya held her brother and sister tightly, and Heather thought that she heard her girlfriend sob.

Her siblings crushed her, making it impossible for Naya to breathe, but she didn't care. When they'd left they'd begged her to come along, but Naya had felt that, for some reason, she _needed_ to stay where she was, and they'd promised that they'd call; that call had never come, and Naya had had no number to call them instead. She'd wondered why everyday since, but had tried not to dwell on it. They probably just didn't want to deal with Angie.

"Naya." Mychal and Nickayla pulled away, leaving Naya face to face with Richard Rivera. She stared at him, her face completely stone. Her father was actually misty eyed, and he stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter the house. Mychal and Nickayla passed, dragging Naya by her hands and chatting over each other about having so much to tell her. Richard smiled at Heather and gestured for her to follow.

"You must be the young lady I spoke on the phone with," he said, and Naya, having heard, threw Heather a dirty look over her shoulder. Heather smiled at her.

"Yes sir," Heather said. "I'm Heather. But I think I'll wait in my car for-"

"Nonsense," Richard said, rushing her in. He shut the door then lowered his voice. "I think this will be easier for her if you're here." Heather nodded.

"I thought you weren't coming until Saturday," Richard said. He led her to follow his three children into the den. "Or I would have cleaned up a bit."

"I'm sorry for just dropping in," Heather said, watching Naya, loving the way her face had softened as she, Mychal, and Nickayla talked over each other. "But a football player attacked her this morning." Richard's jaw set angrily. "He punched her in the nose and said some terrible things to her. She was feeling down, and I thought it'd be good to bring her now. She's…not happy with me, though."

Richard sighed and nodded before leading Heather to sit on the couch. He approached Naya. "Sweetheart…"

Naya rounded on him, her conversations with her siblings forgotten. "Don't."

"Listen to him," Mychal encouraged.

"Please?" Nickayla added. "You don't know the entire story, Naya."

"I know enough to know that he bailed on us," Naya insisted, and Richard pressed his lips together tightly. "He left us with that crazy-" She stopped as she caught Heather's eye. Her girlfriend wordlessly pleaded with her, asking her to do this for _them_. Naya huffed. "Fine." She crossed the room, past Richard, and plopped angrily beside Heather. Heather reached for her, but Naya pulled away. Heather shrugged at Richard.

Richard sat across from them, and Nickayla and Mychal made themselves comfortable on the floor. "Well, tell me everything," Richard said, clapping his hands together.

"Oh," Naya said, feigning cheeriness. "Okay. Well, everyday for seven years my mother woke me up around five a.m. Her work out regime and meal plan with minimal food nearly killed me, but gee golly I'm a much better person because of it!"

"Naya…"

Naya ignored Heather. "And then, oh man this was the greatest, she let random men into our house _while she was drunk_. And then I came home one night and one of them tried to attack me, but it's a damn good thing my bedroom door was sturdy enough to withstand him throwing himself against it."

Everyone stared at her, jaws slack, and Heather tearfully said, "You…you never told me about that…"

Again, Naya ignored her. It wasn't something that she liked thinking about. She didn't want to get stuck on worrying what could have happened to her that night, what the man had had in mind for her. "I think what takes the cake though, is being slapped by my own mother and tossed out onto the street."

Richard ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. "Naya, I…I don't know what to say…"

"Tell me," Naya demanded, pounding her fist on her thigh. "Tell me why you left me there. I need to know."

Richard raked his hands through his thinning hair. "Our problems started years before I left," he began. "Your mother was steadily becoming an alcoholic. I was finding drugs in the house, and when confronted Angie claimed to have no knowledge of them. It got progressively worse over the years until one night we ended up screaming at each other. I left the bedroom; I wanted to go downstairs and cool off before I'd say or do something that I'd regret." Heather took Naya's hand and held tightly. "But Angie followed me, and tried to push me down the stairs."

"You're lying," Naya said loudly. Richard seemed unphased.

"I'm not."

"He's not," Mychal, Nickayla, and Heather said at the same time.

"I fought her off and ran out," Richard continued, and a tear slipped down his face at the memory. Heather could see Naya's face softening; Richard couldn't fake the pain he was showing. "She told me that if I ever came back she'd call the police."

"All of that might be true," Naya relented. "But…you just left. You didn't call, you didn't fight for us, for me." She pointed to her siblings. "Hell, even they said that they would call and they never did. I've seen you twice since you left, and neither time you thought to say anything?"

"I tried to fight for you!" Richard insisted loudly. "I tried my hardest to gain custody of you kids." Naya's shoulders slumped. "Your mother cried abuse and I lost full custody. Hell, Mychal and Nickayla weren't supposed to come here, but when I heard what your mother was doing I had to take them. And I tried to take you, but she said that you were happy where you were. I tried to call-"

"So did Mychal and me," Nickayla said.

"But Angie never let us speak to you," Richard said. "If she wasn't ignoring the calls, she was picking up the phone and laying it off the hook."

Heather squeezed Naya's hand. "So…all these years I thought you didn't want me…you were…"

"Fighting for you," Richard filled in. "Naya, I called every single day. I was calling lawyers across the country, offering to pay any amount of money…but to no avail."

Tears fell down Naya's blank face and Heather rubbed her arm. "Are you okay?" She whispered.

After a minute, Naya said, "This is Heather." Richard nodded. "I'm living with her and she's my girlfriend. Mom kicked me out because I'm gay." Heather's mouth dropped and her eyes widened in disbelief. Personally she had thought that it was a bit too early to divulge that information, and she merely told Richard that she was Naya's best friend. "So if you have a problem with that, speak now."

Richard nodded and smiled. Then, he stood and held his arms out. Naya, not fully trusting her shaking legs, stayed seated until Heather gave her a small push. Naya rose and stepped forward, hesitantly falling into her father's arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. She clung to his shirt and sobbed, feeling his tears in her hair. "I don't," he sobbed. "I don't have a problem with it at all."

Mychal and Nickayla rose, and Heather stood between them, an arm around each of their shoulders. "So…" Nickayla said. "Are you gonna be our sister-in-law?" Heather's face reddened.

Naya, now laughing, pulled away from Richard. "I'm working on it," she said honestly, and Heather's eyes lit up, but still had a glint of skepticism. Naya smiled and nodded.

As they all came together, chatting excitedly, Heather caught Naya's eye over Nickayla's head and winked.

Everything would be okay.

\-----

Naya held Heather's hand tightly during the drive home, but didn't say a word. Richard, her _father_ , had offered her a home, a place to live until she went to college. Naya promised him that she'd consider the offer, but really, she didn't want to be anywhere that Heather wasn't. It just was not an option for her.

When things were beginning to look familiar to her, Heather finally piped up. "How's your nose?"

Naya turned her gaze from the trees passing her window to Heather. "Hurts," she said quietly. "I can feel my heartbeat in my nose…"

Heather smiled. "We'll have mom look at it in the morning," she said, turning on her turn signal. "Just to be sure it's not broken."

"Just so you know," Naya said suddenly, nearly cutting Heather off. Heather froze, waiting for the angry rant that was sure to come. "When we get home I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk right tomorrow."

Heather's eyes grew large and her pale cheeks colored pink. "Um…not that I'd ever complain…but…why?"

Naya squeezed Heather's hand. "Because of you, the stable end of my family became a family again today." She released Heather's hand and trailed her own up Heather's thigh. "That's not an easy thing to do in the span of a couple of hours, and you deserve an award. Since the Nobel Peace Prize is probably out of the question…I have to find another way, and that's the best way I know how." Heather nodded. Naya leaned over and whispered into her ear, "First against a wall." Heather swallowed against the lump in her throat, Naya's hot breath making it hard to concentrate. "Then on the desk." Naya cupped Heather over her jeans and pressed her fingers against Heather hard.

"As hot as that is," Heather breathed. "We still have about a forty-five minute drive until we're home."

"Pull over then." Naya smirked.

"Uh…"

"Kidding," Naya said with a laugh. She moved back into her own seat and placed her hand on Heather's inner thigh, innocently staring out the window again. Heather gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, shuddering whenever Naya would squeeze or her fingers would drift a little higher.

"So," Heather said, trying to break the tension in the car. "Are you-" Naya squeezed again and Heather had to bite back a moan. "-gonna go live with your dad?"

"Nope," Naya said simply. Heather glanced at her curiously. "I mean, I'm glad things are sorted, and, yeah, I want to visit him. But my home is where you are."

Heather was silent, and as she glanced at her, Naya could see that Heather’s face was graced with the largest smile she’d ever seen the girl wear.

“I mean that,” Naya added quietly, loosening her grip on Heather’s thigh and rubbing in circles instead.

“You know,” Heather said, the smile never leaving her face. “Last year, if someone would have told me that we’d be where we are now, I probably would have moved away.”

Naya laughed. “I would have punched them in the face, honestly. But we’re here.”

“I’m not pulling over.”

Naya took her hand back and nearly doubled over with laughter.

\-----

Her back hit the mattress with a dull thud, hard enough to knock the wind from her. They’d done it roughly against the wall and on the desk, just as Naya had promised, but Naya seemed to have no intention of stopping.

“N-Naya.” Heather shuddered as Naya’s hand returned to the space between her legs. A small cry left her lips and she wrapped her trembling legs around Naya. “I’m gonna…I’m gonna…”

Naya’s hand slowed and she smirked at the sound of frustration Heather released. “I know, baby,” she husked against Heather’s breast. She swirled her tongue around an already fatigued nipple, pressed hard against Heather’s sensitive clit, and Heather came undone again, nails digging into Naya’s shoulders as her body went rigid and she grunted before sighing contentedly.

Naya pulled her hand back and crawled back up to kiss Heather roughly. “Naya,” Heather gasped, but Naya was kissing her way downward again. “Naya – AH – Naya s-stop.” She tangled her fingers in Naya’s hair and pulled her back up. Naya moaned at the act. “Wait.”

Naya smirked. “Too much?” Suddenly, Heather flipped them over.

“No.” She pinned Naya down and latched her lips onto Naya’s neck. “But damn, give me a minute to return the favor.”

“No…I told you,” Naya gasped. “I’m thanking you.”

“Shh,” Heather shushed, and began to kiss her way down.

“But-”

“Shh,” Heather shushed again more forcefully. She wasted no time in darting her tongue out to lick through Naya’s folds, and Naya arched off of the bed. Heather held her hips down. She flattened her tongue and pressed hard against Naya’s slit, making sure to dip the tip of it inside just a little bit. Naya tried to cant her hips, but Heather pushed her down harder.

"More," Naya begged and tangled her fingers in Heather's hair. Having watched Heather come so many times, even riding Heather's leg hadn't been quite enough to push Naya over, but she knew that it wouldn't take much more than that. Heather laughed, her breath making Naya shudder, and pulled back, fighting against Naya's insistent hands.

"Oh, so you want it _now_?" Heather quipped.

Naya scowled and tugged Heather's hair roughly, emitting a cry from her girlfriend. "Yes," she panted. "Now eat me or I'll pull your hair out." Heather snorted at her eloquence, but Naya pulled her hair again and she retaliated by suddenly delving two fingers deep into Naya. Naya arched, her grip loosened, and she almost lost it right then. Heather bowed her head and began to flick her tongue against Naya's clit in time with her pumping fingers, just light enough to keep Naya squirming on the edge. Her free hand snaked up and began to knead a breast, pinching the nipple just to hear Naya gasp.

Naya bucked, and Heather's tongue hit her at just the right angle. Naya's eyes rolled back and she cried out. Heather continued her motions, bringing Naya down, then pulled out and pouted. "Well, that was no fun."

Naya's chest heaved. "You're kidding right?" Heather smirked and licked her lips clean. Naya moaned.

Heather crawled up to lay beside of her. "School tomorrow?"

Naya groaned loudly and slapped a hand over her eyes. "You just gave me a mind-blowing orgasm, and you want to go and ruin it with school talk?"

Heather splayed her fingers across Naya's abs. "The conversation would have been a lot shorter if you'd said either 'yes' or 'no', you know."

"It depends."

Heather cocked an eyebrow. "On what exactly?"

"If we don't go, can we stay here and have sex all day?"

Heather laughed loudly and pulled Naya on top of her. "I think it can be arranged."


	13. Chapter 13

The following Saturday was not a good day.

Lea stopped by to inform them that, after several all night phone conversations, setting ground rules and boundaries, laying feelings on the line, and a lot of shed tears, she and Dianna were now an official couple.

Heather was less than amused.

"How could you be with…with…with _her_?"

Lea crossed her arms and tried to look anywhere but at Heather. "Well…I mean-"

"After everything she's done to you?" Heather asked. "To me?"

They were standing in the foyer and Lea was making sure to keep her back to the door and half an eye on Naya, standing awkwardly in the kitchen doorway.

"Dianna's trying to change."

Heather snorted. "Yeah. Right."

Lea's head snapped up. "It's true, HeMo." Lea uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips indignantly. "You don't know her like I do-"

"I do know that she tried to rearrange my face _and_ she trashed my glasses!"

"And she's sorry!"

"Well why haven't I heard that?"

They were screaming now, and, desperate to diffuse the situation, Naya took a step forward. "Guys, c'mon," she said gently. Lea and Heather stopped screaming, but were now staring daggers at each other. "Heather, you and I need to have a talk about you overreacting." Heather opened her mouth to retort, but Naya didn't give her the opportunity. "And Lea, you don't know Dianna like I do. She's not going to change at the drop of a hat."

Lea's face began to turn beet red, matching Heather's ears, and Naya figured that, if it were possible for smoke to gush from one's ears, it would be happening to Lea at that very moment.

"You can't be angry at me for being with Dianna," Lea said. She pointed to Naya, and Naya realized that Lea had completely forgotten about her presence until she'd spoken up. "Because you're with _her_."

The malice in her voice sent Naya reeling, and the color drained from Heather's face at the realization that other people knew. They weren't exactly hiding anything at school – hand holding and hanging all over each other was the norm - but they had yet to announce it officially like Mark and Chris.

"Ouch," Naya mumbled, obviously hurt; it seemed to add more fuel to Heather's anger because suddenly the color was back in her cheeks.

"Rude," she said sharply, and Lea scoffed.

"Excuse me." Lea drew out the words and placed an exaggerated hand on her chest for a moment before pointing an accusing finger at Naya. "But is this not the girl that gave you hell for ten years?" Heather fell silent and Naya fidgeted nervously. It was an uncomfortable subject for both of them, and Naya hated when it was brought up, fearing that Heather might change her mind about her. "For years she tripped you, called you an ugly nerd, pushed you into lockers, knocked your things out of your hands and kicked them around the hallways. Did you just magically forget about all of that?"

Heather crossed her arms. "It's not the same thing."

"How?" Lea pleaded. "How is it not the same thing? Yes, Dianna has done horrible things…but you seem to think that Naya made some magical turn around, so why can't Dianna?"

"Because Dianna's a bitch," Heather spat. Her eyes darted to Naya, and Naya's heart leapt nervously.

"So is she," Lea whispered, pointing to Naya once again.

Heather turned a frightening shade of purple, and Naya almost sidled over to tell her to calm down before she blew an artery. Lea, apparently done with the conversation, reached behind her – she was careful to not put her back to either of them, though she didn’t think that Heather would actually hurt her – and opened the door.

“You’re all about loving people,” Lea said to Heather. “And being open-minded. I thought you’d be a little more accepting of her.” She turned to leave, but stopped halfway, still looking towards the driveway and not at Heather. “You don’t have many friends, Heather. It’s not smart to turn away the ones you _do_ have.” Then, she slammed the door and was gone.

Heather’s lip trembled and Naya sighed; these days, she hated seeing Heather upset, especially since they’d helped each other make so much progress.

Naya uncrossed her arms and approached Heather slowly. She placed her hands on Heather’s hips and kissed her bare shoulder. “I don’t like it either,” she whispered against Heather’s skin. “But they’re going to do what they want. There’s no use in getting upset. Okay?”

Heather turned her face as Naya tried to kiss her. “Why did you let her say those things about you?”

Naya gripped Heather’s hips tighter. “Because they’re true,” she said solemnly. “I am a bitch. Maybe not to you…but there have been times when I’ve thought about pushing Lea down the school’s emergency stairs.” Naya was only half joking, but as Heather turned from her, she realized that this was not the time. “Heather, its okay. It is.”

Heather began pacing the floor, her hands wringing together tightly in front of her. "She can't be with Dianna," she mumbled to herself. "Dianna will only hurt her."

"We don't know that."

"Don't we?" Heather asked, stopping for only a second. Her hands mounted on her hips and she resumed her pacing. "I mean, she's a terrible person and-"

"And she saved you from getting into trouble less than a week ago," Naya filled in. "If it was known that you are the one that jumped on Jake you'd be suspended for the rest of the year, even if you were saving my butt." Heather finally stopped and fixed her hard gaze on Naya. Naya took a step forward cautiously. "I changed. You were good for me, and I changed. Maybe all Dianna needs is someone to love her. And you know, obviously Chord was not that person."

Heather bit her lip and looked away. She didn't think that it was wrong to have a grudge against someone who had broken into her house, someone who had threatened her…someone who had tried to punch her in the face just because she existed. Lea had no right to say that their situations were similar; Naya had never done any of those things.

"Maybe Lea will be good for Di," Naya continued. She reached out and began to rub circles on Heather's sides with her palms. "Maybe we should give her a chance."

Heather sighed irritably and cupped Naya's neck, not having a clue what to do with her hands. "I'm just…"

"I know, baby," Naya murmured and pulled Heather closer. Heather leaned down to place her forehead on Naya's and closed her eyes. "I know you're worried about her. But we'll be here to keep them both in line. Okay?"

Reluctantly, Heather nodded and Naya kissed her cheek fondly; Heather pulled away. "I'm just gonna go to bed."

Naya wound her arms around Heather to keep her in place, though she knew that, if it came down to it, there wouldn't be much a struggle since Heather was so much stronger than her. "But it's only three o'clock…"

Heather reached around her back, grabbed Naya's wrists, and unwrapped her lithe arms. "I know, I just…I want to lay down for a bit."

Naya dropped her arms to her sides and watched dejectedly as Heather trudged up the stairs. They didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, and it saddened Naya. A lot of the time, little things turned into big things, and, though she knew she shouldn't worry about it (come on, they loved each other), sometimes she couldn't help it.

But after all, this argument had nothing to do with them. It was something that ultimately needed to be worked out between Lea and Dianna and Lea and Heather, and as much as Naya wanted to help, she couldn't, not really. All she could hope to do was be there for Heather in case things didn't quite turn out how everyone wanted them to. The girl didn't have many friends to beginning with (the pang of guilt hit Naya again, but she brushed it off; it would _always_ be there no matter what), and losing just one of the few she _did_ have could potentially leave her girlfriend in shambles.

Naya waited until she heard their bedroom door close – a little too loudly – before sighing and slowly climbing the stairs; if Heather was going to cry, she wasn't going to do it alone. Naya opened the door slowly, giving Heather the time to ask her to leave. When Heather, lying facing the wall, didn't say a word, but almost seemed to relax at the sound of Naya entering, Naya closed the door quietly and padded across the floor.

Naya rounded to the other side and slipped into Heather's arms. Surprisingly, she wasn't crying, but Naya cupped her face and stroked Heather's cheeks with her thumbs anyways. She rained kisses all over Heather's face, lingering on her eyelids and the corners of her mouth. Heather pulled her closer and slid her hands up Naya's shirt to caress the bare skin of her back. Without opening her eyes, Heather leaned forward until their lips were barely touching and whispered, "I love you…so much," before closing the gap.

Naya let Heather assault her lips hungrily for a second, knowing that the feeling of her would be good for Heather and vice versa, and then pushed her away slightly.

"Are you okay now?" Heather nodded slightly after a short hesitation, and Naya nuzzled her cheek. "It'll be okay. I promise you that."

This time, when Heather nodded, there was no hesitation.

\-----

Naya aced her trigonometry exam, her US history exam, and had received high B's on her Chemistry II, English IV AP, and French II exams.

(Heather, of coursed, aced all of her exams.)

All that stood in Naya's way was dance. Months of tutoring, countless hours working her ass off in Heather's basement, aching muscles, sleepless nights…it all boiled down to the next few moments.

Naya stood just offstage watching Jenna perform her dance. Naya found herself trying to mentally send good luck vibes across the stage. Not that Jenna needed it, however; she'd had Kevin with her every step of the way, coaching her, pushing her to her limits, just as Naya had had Heather.

Jenna came to a stop, breathing heavily, and Naya could hear Ms. Mays' tiny hands clapping enthusiastically. Words were exchanged before Jenna made her way to Naya, who offered her own almost silent applause. Jenna, obviously surprised at the nice change of personality, smiled shyly at Naya and headed back to the dressing rooms.

Naya took a deep breath and shook out her trembling hands; she was up next.

_I need a B_ , she told herself. _I don’t need to be perfect; I just need a B_.

Naya took a deep breath and stepped out of the shadow of the stage curtain. Her terrified gaze fell on Ms. Mays, just one of three judges – Naya was relieved to see Coach Lynch and Mrs. Rosemont, the librarian. The two of them would probably be a little more forgiving any of the other possibilities that had been running through her mind.

Ms. Mays smiled encouragingly at her. “Whenever you’re ready, Naya,” she said quietly, and Naya could see her slip her crossed fingers under the table.

Naya swallowed. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. She nodded to let them know that she was ready. As the music started, Naya caught a glimpse of a silhouette, hovering just in the back of the auditorium, and she smiled to herself; it was Heather, who had promised that she would try to talk her way out of American Government early, after her own exam.

Though she was still nervous, having Heather there made what she needed to do seem familiar. Her tasks, the things weighing most heavily on her mind – passing this exam, graduating, going to college – all seemed to melt away, and she began to move. She flitted across the stage weightlessly, recalling notes that Heather had instilled in her along the way.

_Lift your right foot higher._

_Don’t bend your knees so much._

_Back straight!_

_Close your eyes. Hang on to my voice. Bend your arm a bit…feet apart. Now…let me go. And just feel the music._

Naya tuned out everything but the music, the notes floating around her, and she imagined Heather twirling with her, guiding her, silently instructing her. She remembered Heather, breathing next to her ear, smiling against her skin when she did something right, something breathtaking, something even she didn’t think she could accomplish. 

She kept Heather close, right to the end when her feet touched the floor for the final time and she put her arms up to show that she was done. Ms. Mays and Mrs. Rosemont rose to their feet, clapping enthusiastically, just as they had for Jenna. Coach Lynch cracked a smile and nodded. Naya grinned broadly.

"Well, done, Naya," Ms. Mays gushed. "Very well indeed!"

Naya was completely speechless, and she hoped her smile said what she couldn't as she glanced to the back of the auditorium. Heather was gone, but Naya didn't dwell on it; she figured Heather would be waiting for her backstage.

"Thank you, Ms. Mays," Naya finally said before darting off behind the curtain. Chris was waiting for her with shining eyes and open arms. She ran to him and grabbed his hands, squeezing happily. "Did you see?" She jabbered. "Did you see me?"

"I did!" He exclaimed. He pulled her to him and wrapped her in a tight hug. "You were amazing! I knew you could do it."

"Do you think you passed?" Jenna asked, approaching with Kevin.

Naya's smile faltered. She'd felt like she'd done well, and everyone else seemed to think so as well. But that didn't mean she'd gotten the B that she needed.

"I don't know," she said quietly. She turned her head to look over her shoulder; a junior was just starting his routine, and she turned back. "I only needed a B but…"

Chris gripped her shoulders. "You," she said, shaking her a bit. "Were amazing, okay? You passed with flying colors."

Naya heaved a relieved sigh; she still wasn't sure, but Chris' words calmed her nerves a bit. She looked around. "Where's Heather?"

Chris drew his eyebrows together. "Probably in class," he said, like that was absolutely the only place Heather would be. "You okay?"

Naya nodded. "Yeah, when I was out there, Heather was hanging in the back of the auditorium."

"Are you sure it was her?" Chris began looking for their friend. "I mean, you know Heather better than I, but I doubt she'd skip class."

Naya pressed her lips together tightly; she'd been so sure. "Yeah…yeah, I guess you're right."

\-----

"I think you should forgive me."

Heather cocked an eyebrow. "Well, good afternoon to you too."

Lea rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm being serious." She folded her arms and watched Heather empty the remnants of her locker into her bag. "You're being very close-minded and I don't appreciate it, Heather Elizabe-"

"I was going to apologize before you began lecturing me." Heather tried to hide her smile behind her hair.

"Oh," Lea said dumbly. "Well?"

Heather slung her bag over her shoulder and looked Lea over. There were no obvious bruises, no sign of any injury at all…and Lea's eyes were bright, shining like Heather had never seen them shine before. Could Dianna really be the cause of… _that_?

"I'm sorry," Heather said. Lea looked shocked, like she hadn't _really_ expected an apology. Heather closed her locker and hefted her bag further onto her shoulder. "I was wrong, and I'll try to be supportive of…whatever you guys are."

"Girlfriends," Lea said, then grinned. "Just like you and Naya." Heather's ears tinged pink and Lea laughed at her.

"Yeah, well," Heather mumbled, unsure whether or not she should be offended at having her relationship compared to Dianna’s. Then decided to reverse the subject. "I'm going to be watching her closely," she said with a weighted shrug. "Just so you know."

Lea's face split into a smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way." She looped her arm through Heather's and led her to the parking lot.

\-----

"Thanks for giving me a ride today." Naya clicked her seatbelt and threw her bag into the back of the jeep.

Mark slid his seat closer to the steering wheel and started the engine. "It's no problem. You know that." He backed out of his parking space. "But can I ask why you wanted to ride with me and not your girlfriend?"

Naya pouted. "We never hang out anymore." Mark glanced at her, waiting for her to continue. "And I miss you?" Mark smirked. "Okay. Okay. The talent show is Thursday."

Mark snorted loudly and Naya scoffed. "There's the kicker. You need someone to tell you that you're amazing, right?"

"Well-"

"Someone's got a big head and they need me – the man – to make a little bit bigger."

"Shut up," Naya said loudly. "I'm just…I'm really nervous, okay?" Mark dropped the cruel joking demeanor; Naya didn't get this way on a regular basis, so when she did, he knew he needed to _try_ to be serious.

"What about Heather?" He asked, drumming his fingers on the wheel. "She's pretty much the only one who can make you feel better these days." He wasn't bitter, because the same went for him and Chris.

Naya turned in her seat and fidgeted. "She's said about all she can say, you know?" Naya hung her head.

"Should we be worried that you're going off the deep end or…"

Naya looked up, clearly not amused. "Jerk."

"You love me." Mark reached over and took her hand. "What's up, though? Seriously. You never get this worked up."

She told him about how nervous she was, how jittery she got at the mere thought, how her heart pounded and she felt like she might lose her lunch, and how she was actually having second thoughts about performing in the talent show at all.

"But you got up in front of hundreds of people when you were cheerleading."

"It's different," Naya insisted. Her heart began to pound at the thought. "I wasn't _singing_. Everyone's eyes could wander to the other cheerleaders and it was just no big deal, but this…everyone's eyes will be on me. I’m going to be the center of attention while doing something that no one knew that I could do before, and I just…can't deal with-"

"Okay, stop," he coaxed. "Breathe, jeez. You'll be fine. You'll be amazing. You know why? Because Heather will be there, cheering you on. Fuck the haters."

Naya nodded. "You know," she said slowly. "I'm pretty sure Heather was in the back of the auditorium today during my dance exam. It's the only thing that got me through that nightmare."

"Someone's in love," Mark cooed and batted his eyelashes.

"If you hadn't figured that out by now, there is no hope for your existence." Naya smiled and reached over to rub his shoulder. "Thank you. You've been the best friend a girl could ask for." She leaned up and kissed his cheek briefly.

"Lesbros for life."

“What even is that?”

“You know,” he said. “You’re the les-, I’m the –bro, so-”

Naya held up a finger. “Uh, no, no, no. I think you have that backwards-”

“Completely false statement.” Then, before she could argue, Mark decided to change the subject. “There something I don’t understand.”

Mark turned into Heather’s driveway; Naya could see that Heather was just walking out of the garage.

“Like everything, right?” Naya joked.

“Haha, you funny fucker you.” Mark raised his hand, like he was going to back-hand her, but one look at Heather’s crossed arms made him stop and grin coyly.

Naya laughed, suddenly wishing that they all could have been this close earlier in life; they would have made an unstoppable trio. “So what do you not understand?”

“Were you ever asked to be back on the cheer squad?”

“Oh, yeah." Naya reached in the back for her bag. "Coach Lynch asked me, but I turned it down." Mark arched an eyebrow. "You know I was only into cheerleading to get away from the witch." Mark nodded.

"And now," he said slowly. He pointed to Heather, who was waiting for Naya a few yards away. "You have a reason to stay home." Then, he clenched his fist and gyrated his hips in his seat. Naya lashed out with an open palm, landing a blow onto his right pec, and he hissed. "Ahhhh…my nipple."

Naya opened her door and stepped out. She slammed the door and hung in the open window wearing a grin. "Did you learn anything?"

Mark gritted his teeth. "Yeah, that you can't take a joke anymore. Whipped."

Naya turned and walked away, throwing, "Yeah look who's talking," and a certain finger over her shoulder.

Mark honked the horn and backed out of the driveway. Naya double-checked that Liz wasn't home before running into Heather's arms. Heather picked her up and spun her.

"How was your dance exam?" Heather asked, pecking her on the lips.

"Don't act like you don't know." Heather grinned. "Why didn't you stick around afterwards and come backstage?"

Heather took Naya's hand and led her into the house. "I told my teacher I needed to use the bathroom; believe it or not, if you're gone to the bathroom too long, no matter who you are, people begin to get suspicious."

They dropped their bags by the door and Heather continued to lead Naya upstairs. "Yeah, but it would have been nice to have you there."

"I'm sorry, baby. I would have if I thought I wouldn't get lectured."

"I know." Naya squeezed Heather's hand. "Where are we going?"

"Bedroom."

Naya smirked and latched onto their joined hands with her free one. "Oh really?" Heather sped up and Naya hummed her approval.

Once inside their room, Heather pulled Naya into her and kicked the door closed. Naya clung to the sides of Heather's t-shirt and let Heather ravish her neck and jaw.

"God, Heather." Heather slipped her hands under Naya's shirt and unhooked her bra. She snaked her hands around to Naya's front, slipped her hands under the now-loose garment, and palmed Naya's breasts. Naya's knees nearly gave out, but she held tight to Heather. "What-"

"I talked to Ms. Mays before I left school," Heather mumbled into her collarbone. Naya opened her mouth to reply, but Heather covered it with her own and darted her tongue out to rake over Naya's lips before she pulled away almost completely. She looked Naya in the eye. "You got an A."

Naya's eyes grew wide. "Wha…what?"

Heather smiled and hopped a bit. "You passed, Naya! You got an A!"

"I got an A?" Naya asked, completely dumbfounded. Heather nodded. "Oh my god, I'm going to graduate!"

Naya threw her arms around Heather's neck and jumped up to wrap her legs around Heather's waist. She rained kisses all over Heather's face, and her girlfriend laughed. When she was finished, she pulled Heather's torso in tighter and hugged her. Heather squeezed her back with equal fervor and slid her hands to cradle Naya's thighs to keep her from falling.

"I couldn't have done any of this without you," Naya whispered. She tangled her fingers in Heather's hair. "Thank you so much."

Heather shrugged. "It was all you, Naya. You-"

Naya shook her head and Heather stopped. "I don't just mean the tutoring," she said. She stroked Heather's scalp. "When I was up there…when I saw you…I closed my eyes, and it was like you were there. You were with me, holding me, guiding me…" Heather smiled. "And I realized…you're always going to be with me, even when you're not there, you know?"

"Always," Heather whispered. She drew Naya closer and crushed their lips together. She set Naya on the floor gently, only breaking contact to rip Naya's shirt and bra off. Then, she picked Naya up again, her hands running over the bare expanse of her back, and laid her down on the bed. She climbed on top of Naya and kissed up and down her neck. Her hands ghosted over Naya's ribs and breasts, rolling her nipples, squeezing tenderly, and Naya arched off the bed, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Impatiently, she grabbed for Heather's hands and settled them over the button of her jean shorts.

Heather smiled against Naya's breast. She worked the button loose and slid her hands into Naya's underwear, stroking a finger over slick heat before pushing them down Naya's legs. Naya spread her legs, letting Heather settle her hips between them.

Naya pulled at Heather's shirt. "Too much clothing," she grunted. Heather lifted her arms, but wouldn't let Naya pull off more than her shirt. Naya whined.

Heather wrapped her fingers around Naya's wrists and held them above her head. "This is congratulatory sex," she whispered against Naya's lips. She brushed her nose over Naya's briefly. "It's all you."

"But I get pleasure from touching you." Heather laughed at the ridiculous statement, but released Naya's wrists and slid down her body, licked at each nipple, down Naya's belly, and finally stopped at the top of Naya's mound. She looked up; Naya was looking down at her with hooded eyes, her arms twitchy but still settled above her head.

Heather bit her lip and ran a single digit the length of Naya's slit. Then, she slipped it in, making Naya arch and her eyes close. "More," she begged. Heather licked her lips and wrapped them around Naya's clit, sucking in time with her thrusts. Naya cried out and, no longer able to keep her hands above her head, placed them atop Heather's head. Heather slipped in a second finger, and Naya's eyes flew open in surprise.

What she saw took her breath away, and not in a good way.

"Heather!" She tangled one hand in Heather's hair and yanked her away. Heather looked up; Naya was trying to grab hold of anything to cover herself and looking over Heather's head in horror. Heather whipped around.

Liz was standing in the doorway, her face beet red and her jaw slack.

"Mom," she whispered. Liz held up a hand, and turned to walk away. "Shit." Heather jumped from the bed and threw Naya her clothes. Then, she threw on her own shirt and fled after her mother.

Naya was in tears. They'd planned to tell Liz, just not like this. She was sure to be kicked out, and, worse, torn away from the only person she'd ever truly loved. Naya slipped her clothes on and made her way downstairs.

Heather and Liz were standing in the kitchen, and it was apparent that neither knew what to say. Naya sidled up and took Heather's hand. It spurred Heather on, and she said, "Please don't be angry."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tears were welling in Liz's eyes and Heather and Naya both felt as thought they'd been punch in the throat. "Why, Heather?"

"I didn't think-"

"You're right, you didn't."

"I thought you'd be angry," Heather said desperately. "And you are! Mom, please…don't take Naya away from me. I know how she treated me in the past, but I need her…I can’t live without her. I love her more than anything and…just please. Please don't send her away."

Heather and Naya were both sobbing now. Liz pointed to the kitchen table. "Sit."

They did as they were told, clinging tightly to each other in the event that Liz tried to forcibly tear them apart.

"What has always been the number one rule in this house, Heather Elizabeth?"

Heather hung her head. "Always be honest."

"To?"

"To you and myself."

"You weren't honest with me," Liz said angrily, pacing the floor. "I'm okay with you two, you know? I'm completely fine, you know why? Because you're _happy_. But I'm not okay with being lied to, and I'm _definitely_ not okay with finding out this way!"

"We're sorry," Naya said. "We wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you'd send me away."

Liz sat across from them, but they could see that she was still tapping her feet, a nervous habit of hers. "Nothing would have changed. I would have continued to let you sleep together, because you're both adults. But the secrecy…I can't deal with that."

"I'm sorry," Heather said pitifully. "Please don't make her leave." She slung her arm around Naya's shoulders and clung tighter to her.

Liz sighed and reached out her hands, silently asking for each of them to take one. "I'm not going to make Naya leave. I'm okay with this. You're happy. And that makes me happy. And on some level, I'll admit, I knew. But let's do away with the secrets, okay? Honesty all around, yeah?"

Heather and Naya nodded, and Liz squeezed their hands. "We're sorry," Heather said.

"Yeah," Naya agreed.

"And I'm sorry for yelling." Liz took her hands back and wiped her face. "I love you girls, you know?"

"We love you too," they said simultaneously.

"Mom," Heather said, glancing sideways at Naya. "You know that I've been tutoring Naya in dance right? And she needed a B to pass?" Liz nodded. "Well her exam was today…she got an A."

Liz's eyes lit up and welled with a fresh batch of tears. "Naya," she breathed. She grabbed for Naya's hands.

Naya smiled. "I'm graduating," she whispered. It was finally sinking in. She was going to get out of their tiny, stupid town, she was going to take Heather, and they were actually going to _do something_ with their lives _together_. "I'm going to graduate, and it's all because of your daughter." 

She looked at Heather, wanting so badly to kiss her senseless right there. Liz let go of Naya's hands and said, "Oh, just do it," as if reading Naya's mind.

Naya and Heather grinned, leaned forward, and their lips met halfway in a short, sweet kiss.

"You're adorable," Liz said, rising from her chair. "And I wish you the best of luck." She turned to leave, but abruptly turned back. "And next time you guys are doing… _that_ …please put a tie or a sock or-"

"Mom!"

Liz held up her hands and turned once again to leave.

Naya took Heather's hand and kissed her knuckles, and, once Liz was out of the room, Heather said, "I hate that the moment's gone."

Naya reached forward and touched Heather's cheek. "Me too; that was going to be the best orgasm ever, I swear."

Heather stood and pulled Naya up and into her. She held Naya's hips and kissed her forehead. "How about we go back to my room, pop in a movie, and see how it goes from there?"

Naya hummed and stood on tip toe to kiss Heather. "That sounds perfect."

\-----

Naya held tightly to the curtain at her right, watching Lea in awe. She'd written an original song for the talent show, and from her place offstage, Naya could see that half of the audience was in tears.

There was no way she had any kind of chance.

She'd been nervous all day, so much so that Heather had had to force her to eat breakfast and lunch, but had not had as much luck with dinner. Whenever she thought about being in front of such a large crowd, her hands quaked and a wave a dizziness passed over her.

She let out a shaky breath and made to turn and flee all together, but a set of hands grabbed at her hips.

"You're late."

Heather leaned over and kissed her cheek quickly. "Sorry," she whispered in her ear. "Traffic was hell, finding a parking space was impossible; this place is full to the brim." Naya whimpered. Heather's hands slid from her hips to her stomach. "Sorry," she said, and kissed her once more. She pulled away and pried Naya's hands from the curtain.

"I can't do this." Naya wiped her palms on the front of her red dress. "I don't have a chance…let's just go home."

"You're going to be fantastic." Heather nudged her shoulder. "And stop doing that, you'll ruin your dress."

Naya turned sharply, panic alight in her eyes. "I can't compete with her," she said frantically. " _Listen_ to her."

"Oh, please," Heather said. "Have you ever even heard yourself sing? I love Lea, really I do, but you're much better than her."

"You're my girlfriend," Naya whispered hastily. "You have to say that."

Heather's face scrunched into a goofy smile. "That's a very false statement." Naya opened her mouth in agitation. "Look, if you really want to leave, I'll take you home right now and we'll forget this ever happened. But honestly, I think you'll be pretty disappointed that you missed this opportunity."

Naya huffed and turned back towards the stage. "There's a college scout out there somewhere."

Heather rubbed Naya's biceps lovingly. "We don't know that for certain."

"Still, though."

"Mark and Dianna are out there," Heather continued. "And so are John and my mom. And your dad, Mychal, and Nickayla."

"I understand the sentiment, but you're not making me feel any better."

"Do you want to leave?"

Naya was silent. Lea was finishing up her song, and she needed to make her decision quick; she was next. The crowd cheered as Lea hit the last few notes spot on. Naya trembled.

"No," she said quietly. "I promised you I'd do this, so…I'm doing it."

Heather kissed the back of Naya's head, and let her mouth linger long enough to whisper, "That's my girl."

Lea breezed towards them. Her face was wet with tears, but a huge smile graced her features. She grabbed at Naya's shoulders; her hands were shaking. "Oh my goodness, that was so…so…invigorating…so…"

"We get it, Lea," Heather laughed. "Go back and calm down."

"That's not a fair representation, though." Naya pouted as Lea walked away. "She does this all the time."

"She's also exaggerating," Heather mumbled. "Have you seen the number of exclamation marks she puts after, like, everything? She's easily excitable." Naya's name was called, and Heather patted her butt to move her forward. "Go get 'em, and remember that I love you."

Naya walked slowly, trying her best to will one foot in front of the other. A stagehand was setting up and adjusting a microphone to her height, and she swore she could feel her lunch coming back. She swallowed thickly and grabbed for the microphone stand. Her mind raced, having forgotten what she was told to do in dress rehearsal the previous day. Lea had said a few words, gotten the crowd pumped up…was she supposed to do that too? She stared out, blinded by the stage lights. Did the music start automatically or did she have to signal that she was ready for it?

The mumbling of the crowd was deafening, and Naya could feel all of their eyes on her as they began to quiet down.

The silence was worse.

Suddenly the beginning chords of the music were ringing through the auditorium, and to her horror she realized that she'd forgotten the words. Her mind raced; her father was in the audience. Liz was in the audience. Her siblings, the kids that looked up to her, were in the audience. But the most disappointing thought: Heather was just backstage, waiting for Naya to make her proud. How could she let Heather down? She couldn't disappoint her…she had to make herself worth it. For Heather.

Naya opened her mouth and the lyrics tumbled out.

_Well sometimes I go out by myself  
And I look across the water_

Her background singers chimed in and Naya nearly had a heart attack, but she mentally shook herself, reminded herself of her girlfriend, and her one goal: make Heather proud.

She gained courage lyric by lyric, and she swiped the microphone from the stand. She walked the length of the stage. When she turned to walk to other way, the stage hand was retreating with the microphone stand. 

_'Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess_  
And I missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress  
Won't you come on over, stop makin' a fool outta me  
Why don't you come on over, Valerie? 

She flowed across the stage, confidence filling her, and the audience cheered. Her nervous jitters disappeared, and just like during her exam, she tuned everything out but the music and Heather.

_Well, sometimes I go out by myself  
And I look across the water_

Naya smiled to herself; the best idea had just come to her. Instead of imagining Heather with her, why not have the real Heather by her side? She'd probably get disqualified because the judges were lame, but so what? She'd promised she'd perform in the talent show. She didn't promise she'd win.

She looked towards the curtain where Heather had previously been. Harry was with her, and gave her two thumbs up. In return, she curled both index fingers, motioning them towards her. They exchanged a look. Harry shrugged and hauled Heather out onto the stage behind Naya. They immediately picked up the rhythm of the music and began dancing, flowing effortlessly behind Naya. The crowd cheered louder and got on their feet.

The song drew to a close. Naya sung her heart out. She felt better, knowing that Heather, the best thing that had ever happened to her, was right by her side, for real. As the music faded, Harry stepped up to her right, Heather stepped up to her left, and both took her by the hand. They bowed as a unit. The crowd cheered louder than before, and Naya drew Heather in close to her side and leaned up to press a long kiss to her cheek.

Heather turned to her and grinned. "You are amazing." Her words were drowned out, but Naya understood them perfectly. _I love you._

The impatient stagehand ushered them off. Naya immediately threw her arms around Heather's neck. "Oh my god, that was so cool!"

Harry clapped her on her shoulder. "You were great!"

"Damn right, she was great," Heather agreed as she hugged her.

Mark sidled up, his arm around Chris' shoulders, followed closely by Lea, who was dragging Dianna by the hand.

Lea was the first to speak. "Oh my goodness, Naya, I didn't know that you could sing so…beautifully!" Naya blushed. Lea tugged Dianna closer, and the latter raised her eyes and looked at Heather.

"You're a terrific dancer," she muttered, though the sincerity was evident.

Heather was stunned, and could only manage a weak, "Thank you."

"Eh, you were aiight," Mark said with a shrug.

"Shut up, asshole," Naya bit back, but smiled anyways.

They strolled further backstage so that they would be out of the way, and were met by Liz and John, who hugged both Naya and Heather tightly, and finally by Richard, Mychal, Nickayla, and the most unexpected guest.

Naya's jaw dropped when she saw her, and she had to blink several times to convince herself that she was real.

"Mom?"

Angie Rivera smiled sadly. She looked better than she had in the past eight years. She was sober, had gained a bit of weight, and had obviously showered and managed to pick out clean clothes. "Hello, Naya."

"What are you doing here?" Heather placed a hand on her arm to placate her, but she honestly wasn't angry. She was caught off guard, and, yeah, seeing her mother opened still unhealed wounds…but angry? No. She couldn't find it in her to be angry; she had a great life now, and she actually had her mother to thank for that.

Angie spread her hands helplessly. "I came to support my daughter." Naya glanced at Heather. "Using the term 'girlfriend' will take some getting used to in relation to my daughter, but I'm willing to try."

Naya glanced at Richard, and he nodded. "Oh, well…thanks. I'm just…" She waved her hand. "I'm not ready to hug you yet…if that's okay."

Angie dropped her hands disappointedly, but seemed to understand. "I'm proud of you, mija," she said. "So very proud."

Naya smiled, fighting back her tears. She couldn't ruin this happy occasion with sad tears.

She pulled Heather to the side. "Did you know?"

Heather shook her head and looked over Naya's shoulder; John and her mom seemed to really hit it off with Naya's parents. She took it as a good sign. "I had no idea he'd bring her."

There were two acts after Naya: a ventriloquist who was booed off of the stage and a magic act that faired well until the very end when the magician dropped his deck of cards and they scattered everywhere.

The contestants were called back to the stage (to her chagrin, Naya couldn't bring Heather with her) so the winner could be announced.

"Our first annual talent show was a success, am I right?" Mr. Morrison spoke into the microphone, and the crowd clapped and whistled. Before I announce the winners, I'd just like to take the time to thank everyone for coming out tonight and for any donations to our school that you may have made."

"Get on with it!" Naya bit back her laughter at the voice that sounded suspiciously like Mark's.

Mr. Morrison cleared his throat. "Right." He opened the first folded piece of paper. "Well, it seems that our singing acts were the highlight of the show this year. Third place goes to…Cory Monteith for his rendition of R.E.M's _Losing My Religion_!"

Cory fist pumped and stepped forward for his applause.

Mr. Morrison opened the next folded piece of paper. "Second place goes to Naya Rivera for singing Amy Winehouse's _Valerie_!"

Naya's jaw dropped. She hadn't expected to get first, but she hadn't expected second or third either. The thunderous applause hit her ears and she stepped forward. She waved her thanks, and above all of the noise, one voice in particular stood out.

"I love you, Naya!"

Naya turned to look off stage. Heather's fingers were in her mouth and she whistled. Then, she raised her hands over her head, clapped loudly, and yelled the phrase again.

Naya smiled and stepped back into her original place. No matter how hard she tried, however, she couldn't wipe the enormous smile from her face. No only had she gotten over her crippling fear and performed, but she'd won second place _and_ her girl cheered for her louder than anyone else. The way Naya figured it, she had won.

"And now," Mr. Morrison said. "The moment we've been waiting for." He slowly unfolded the third and last envelope. "The winner of this year's talent show is…Lea Michele, who composed her own song, _Get It Right_!"

Lea was so surprised that she had to be physically pushed towards the principal to claim her trophy. The crowd stood and tears fell from Lea's eyes. Dianna rushed out and gathered Lea into her arms into a tight embrace. Naya could see her whispering things to the shorter girl.

Mr. Morrison leaned back to the microphone. "Well, it seems as though Ms. Michele is a bit speechless, so let's have one more round of applause for all of our contestants."

The contestant line dispersed, and Naya ran to Lea. "Oh my god!" She pushed Dianna out of the way and threw her arms around Lea's neck. "You were amazing! Congratulations!"

Lea sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Thank you, Naya." Then, she was nearly knocked to the ground by Heather.

"You were so great!" Heather squealed, and Lea laughed. She was unable to free her arms enough to hug Heather back, so she settled for patting Heather's side awkwardly.

Heather let go of Lea, and Lea walked off with Dianna to find her parents. Heather took Naya's hand. "You are so amazing, you know that?"

Naya shrugged. "Ah, I had an idea, you know." She broke into a smile. "But I'd be nothing without you."

"Sap."

"You love me."

Naya led Heather backstage; her adrenaline high was wearing off, and all she really wanted to do was go home and sleep all summer.

"Excuse me." The girls turned at the voice behind them. An older gentleman stood in a business suit, his glasses slightly askew. "My name is Alan Scarlett. I'm a scout for The Florida Arts School."

Heather and Naya looked at each other with wide eyes and squeezed each other's hand. "Oh, hi," Heather said, turning back to the man. She reached out to shake his hand with her free right hand. "We heard rumors that a scout would be here, but we weren't sure of their validity."

Alan Scarlett smiled. "I assure you, there is more than one of us. I just wanted to be the first to talk to the three of you."

Heather drew her eyebrows together. "Three…?" Naya nudged her and pointed to the side where Harry was talking with his parents. "Oh, right, Harry!" She called to him. He excused himself and jogged over to them. "This is Mr. Alan Scarlett of The Florida Arts School. He wanted to be the first to talk to the three of us."

Harry shook Mr. Scarlett's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

"No, son, it's a pleasure to meet you three," Alan said with enthusiasm. "What you three had on stage tonight was pure magic." He paused to raise his hands for emphasis. Then, he pulled out three business cards from his pocket and handed them over. "We'd be honored to have you at our school. Give me a call and we'll set something up, alright?"

They each thanked him profusely, and as he walked away, Naya said, "He came all the way from Florida…to this dumb little town."

"It must be a sign," Harry said.

"Well whatever it is, we were awesome," Naya said.

Heather wound an arm around her waist. " _You_ were awesome."

Naya turned and wrapped her arms around Heather. She leaned her head on Heather's shoulder.

Later, they met up with John and Liz by their cars, parked parallel to each other. Liz hugged Naya so tightly that she couldn't breathe for a few agonizingly sweet moments. John's hug was shorter, but didn't lack in the sentiment. 

Heather and Naya decided to keep the news about The Florida Arts School to themselves until something became concrete; there was a lot to discuss, now that they had each other. They had yet to discuss whether they'd attend the same school, whether they wanted to go far or stay close to home, or even what they wanted to go to school for.

Heather was alarmed that Naya was so quiet and looked over briefly as she drove. Under the streetlights she could see the questions racing through Naya's mind. "We'll figure it out," she said. "The college stuff…we'll work it all out."

Naya reached blindly for Heather's hand. "I wish you could have won with me."

Heather brought Naya's hand to her lips and kissed it. "I did. I have you. I'd say I came out better than anyone."

Naya smiled. They'd been through a lot together, and as much as Naya wished she could change their colorful past, somehow she didn't think that they'd be where they were if something had been done differently. They had a lot of work ahead of them; they were far from the perfect couple, and they had the most dysfunctional friends anyone could ask for. But it was enough for her.

She was never happier than when she was with Heather. And maybe, just maybe, that made all of their past pain worth it.


	14. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics at the end are from "What Can I Say?" by Carrie Underwood and Sons of Sylvia. They're the lyrics that inspired this entire fic.

"Sing to me."

"…what?"

"Sing to me."

Naya let out a puff of air. "Seriously?" Heather nodded and gripped the bed sheets harder. "Heather, my fingers are inside of you and we're already late." She twisted her fingers for emphasis and bumped Heather's clit, hoping Heather would lose her train of thought. Heather cried out and threw her head back. Then, she shuddered and slumped against Naya. Naya wrapped her arms around Heather's waist, stroked her back, and lifted her head to pepper kisses over Heather's neck and face.

"That didn't mean that you couldn't sing to me." Heather lifted her head, and Naya smiled at the pout on her face.

"We're late," she reminded Heather for the tenth time.

"That didn't stop you from plunging your fingers in me." Heather smirked.

Naya pressed a kiss to Heather's lips and nudged the blankets off of them. "I will remind you that you are the one on top of me."

Heather rolled off of Naya and sat up. "So I was enthusiastic." She shrugged. "I mean, have you seen you?"

Naya scrunched her face and nodded. Then, she stood and ran her hands over her own body before tangling them in her hair. "Oh, yeah," she whispered. "I am hot, huh?"

Heather licked her lips. She rounded the bed and pulled Naya in by her hips so their naked bodies were flush. She wrapped one arm around the small of Naya's back and used her free hand to brush the hair from Naya's face. "Yeah," she breathed. "You are." Naya smirked and ghosted her fingers over Heather's collar bone. "Fuck."

Heather hoisted Naya off of her feet and Naya wrapped her legs around Heather's waist. Heather slammed her against the nearest wall and sank her teeth into Naya's pulse point. Naya's strangled cry rang in Heather's ear, and she laved her tongue slowly over the deep teeth marks. Then she pulled back.

"You're so sexy," Naya rasped. Red began to creep into Heather's ears, and Naya chuckled. They'd been together for nearly five months, but Heather wasn't quite used to Naya using the terms sexy, beautiful, or gorgeous to define her. "Oh, now you're going to get shy on me?"

Heather pushed Naya's hair back and laid a gentle kiss on the bite mark she'd left. It throbbed painfully, and Naya hissed. "Problem?"

"That was a bad idea."

Heather hummed in her ear. "One day you'll learn. Don't tease me."

"No," Naya said. "I mean the mark that's going to leave. My dress won't cover that up." Heather paused, eyes wide. "Speaking of which…"

Heather glanced at the clock on her bedside table. "Shit, we're late!"

She dropped Naya to the floor, nearly sending her onto her backside. "I told you!"

"No, I mean we're really late!" Heather grabbed their dresses from the hook on the back of her door and hastily handed Naya hers. "We were supposed to be there an hour ago!"

"But it doesn't start for another hour." Naya threw her clothes on; they'd change into their dresses later so they wouldn't ruin them.

"The wedding planner put this idea in mom's head that if everyone involved isn't there two hours early, everything will go wrong."

Heather rushed Naya out and down the stairs. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Heather took her cell phone from its place beside her keys. "Thirteen missed calls from mom, eight from John. Fuck."

Naya trudged to the entertainment room and picked her phone up from the table. "Ten from Liz, four from John," she called.

"Fuck!"

Heather grabbed Naya's hand and dashed outside. The August air was stifling, and Naya cursed Liz and John's decision to have an outdoors wedding. She hoped the breeze from the lake would make the ordeal a bit more bearable, but honestly she was having her doubts.

But really, she was just happy that Heather was finally okay with the impending wedding. She was poised to be Liz's maid of honor, and Naya had been thrilled to accept the position of what Liz liked to call 'co-maid of honor'.

"You girls are going to be going away to college a month after the wedding," Liz had said as they had their dresses fitted. "And this is probably going to be one of the only chances you get to do this. I just want everyone to come out happy."

(Heather and Naya had exchanged smirks at the phrase 'come out' which hadn't gone unnoticed by Liz.)

Naya carefully laid out her dress in the backseat and helped Heather lay her own on top of it. Then, they climbed into the front and peeled out towards the lake.

"I can't wait to see Ali." Naya bounced in her seat.

"I know, right? I always miss that kid like crazy."

"She's going to be the best flower girl," Naya said, smiling at the thought.

Heather nodded and turned onto the gravel road that wound through the forest of trees and to the lake. Once they were parked, they jumped out, grabbed their dresses, and bolted for the hut that was being used for Liz and all of the females involved to get ready.

"Where have you been?" Liz whipped around so fast that her veil fell off her head. "You were supposed to be here an hour and a half ago!"

Naya shrank away and blended into everyone else who was milling around, but just caught the beginnings of the 'my wedding is more important than your sex life' lecture.

She secured a small room for herself (and Heather when she managed to escape) and tugged off her shoes and jeans. The summer months had passed in a blur of sleep, college applications, and April's pool (okay, and sex, but whatever). After many long discussions, Heather and Naya had finally decided on USC (the Thornton School of Music for Naya, and Heather was still undecided, but was checking deeply into the Rossier School of Education), a far cry from the school in Florida that was offering them both scholarships.

Living arrangements had been placed on the back burner, but they knew they wanted to live together if possible (even if it meant driving or walking out of their way for classes). It needed to be decided quick, Naya thought, because packing time was approaching quickly.

The door burst open and Heather tumbled in, obviously in a hurry to miss another lecture. "You left me," she panted. "I was trapped and you just left me. God help me when the zombies walk the Earth."

Naya laughed and threw a shoe at Heather. "Don't be so dramatic." She pulled her dress on and sat to put her heels on her feet. "So, how many of those nice old ladies know that we're having sex?"

Heather's cheeks tinged again. She cleared her throat and muttered, "All of them."

"Nice."

Heather groaned. "My grandmother is out there."

Naya stood and walked over to help Heather pull on her dress. Then, she kissed her cheek affectionately. "Just think," she whispered. "That saves you the trouble of telling them."

Heather scowled. "Shut up." She reached into Naya's makeup bag and pulled out her foundation. She put a dab on her finger and began to dot it along the spots where the hickey was beginning to form on Naya's neck.

Once Heather was finished, Naya kissed her again and patted her butt. "Saddle up, baby. We got a wedding to attend."

\-----

Naya peeped around the door just as John and his best man (John's best friend, Howard) were taking their place at the altar. Even from a distance she could see John's hands quivering uncontrollably. He looked forward and caught her eye; Naya drew her hand upwards, silently telling him to breathe. He rolled his eyes, but pasted his charmingly devilish smirk on and nodded. The priest walked in behind them.

April lagged behind until the last possible minute to make sure that Ali's dress was as neat as it could be, then she took the last groomsman's arm and they marched down the isle.

Heather smiled at Naya and bent her arm. Naya looped hers through and they walked together. Many people, especially those on John's side, stared, obviously confused, but Naya didn't worry with them. They didn't understand, and that was perfectly okay, because she probably wouldn't see any of these people ever again.

Looking over, she saw her father, her siblings, and, to her surprise, her mother (she guessed either Liz or Heather had invited them). Her mother waved and dabbed her eye with a tissue. She and Angie had been on good terms since her mother had sobered up and had started going on not-so-secret dates with Richard, but when her mother had asked her to come home, Naya had smiled sadly and replied "I am home, mom." To her shock, Angie had nodded and wished her well.

She and Heather took their places beside April, but continued to hold hands.

The ring bearer, John's young nephew, came next, followed by Ali, who obviously didn't care what anyone thought as she twirled about, tossing flower petals and soaking up the laughs and coos from both sides. April dropped her crimson face into her free hand and laughed.

The wedding march began; everyone got quiet and stood. Liz, dressed in a beautiful white gown, came in, led by Jeremy. Liz was glowing, as any bride deserved to be, and the smile on John's face was blinding. Beside her, Naya heard Heather swallow thickly and Naya pulled her closer. On her other side, April bounced excitedly.

Jeremy walked Liz to the altar, turned to give her a hug, and then sat in the front row between Liz's parents and the group of Mark, Chris, Lea, and, oddly enough, Dianna. Liz grinned at her bridesmaids and maids of honor before turning to John. He took her hand and they turned to face the priest and he began to speak.

"We gather here today to join together two souls – Elizabeth Ann Morris and John Phillip Stamos – in holy matrimony. It is a great time in your young lives that you will forever remember, and we are all blessed to accompany you in your joy."

The priest paused for a moment. Heather sniffled and Naya stroked the side of her hand with her thumb.

"Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. With full understanding of this, Elizabeth and John have come here today to be joined as one in marriage. Now, if you two will please face each other and join hands."

John and Liz faced each other and smiled. He held out his free hand to take hers.

"Elizabeth," the priest said. "Do you have something you wish to say to John before we begin?"

Liz nodded, and Naya knew her well enough to know that she was already crying.

"My first husband died almost five years ago," Liz began tearfully, and Heather stiffened. "Cancer took him from us much, much too early. I was depressed, going nowhere with my life. All I had were my daughters, and while it should have been enough, it wasn't." Liz paused, her tears momentarily hindering her speech. "There was a hole…a hole that could only be filled with a certain kind of love. And then you transferred to the medical center and…you swept me off of my feet." John smiled and blinked back tears. "You made me happy when no one else could. And I know there has been some opposition-" Liz glanced over her shoulder at Heather and Heather scoffed. Giggles rang out over the crowd. "-but it's behind us. We're the perfect team, the dream duo, and I wouldn't have my life any other way if it meant that I wouldn't be standing here with you."

Sniffles sounded from the guests and Heather gagged. Naya hip bumped her, but April reached behind Naya and slapped the back of Heather's head. Naya gave Heather a stern look before she could fight back and Heather slumped in defeat. Naya smiled. _Whipped._

"That was beautiful Elizabeth." The priest allowed Liz a moment to compose herself. Then, he addressed John. "John, do you have something that you wish to say to Elizabeth before we begin?"

John nodded once and tightened his grip on Liz's hands. "My long-time girlfriend left me," he began. "I was going to propose and she ended it; took the dog, the house, the car…luckily I'm a doctor and bounced back just fine." Everyone laughed and he grinned lightheartedly at Liz. "I was on the verge of a breakdown, and when I was asked to transfer hospitals I was sure it would be the end of me. Everything was changing so quickly, I felt like I could barely get in a breath before I was being pulled and jerked around once again. But then the best change of all…I met you. And my life hasn't been the same since. When I'm with you, just being is easier than it ever was. If I could change one thing, it would simply be that I wish that I'd met you sooner."

"She was married," Heather muttered, and Naya stepped on her foot.

The priest smiled. "Lovely," he said. "At this time, I would like to ask with whom does Elizabeth come, and whose blessings accompany her?"

"Mine," Heather and April said together, then to reiterate, they said, "Ours."

The priest nodded. "John, do you take this woman, Elizabeth Ann, to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise to love, honor, respect her, and comfort her, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her for so long as you both shall live?"

John smiled. "I do."

"And do you, Elizabeth, take this man, John Phillip, to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you promise to love, honor and respect him, and comfort him, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him for so long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"If there are any here that oppose the joining of these two souls, let him speak now or forever hold his piece." When all was silent, he continued. "Very good. Your wedding rings are symbolic of your commitment to each other and your endless love for each other. Who has the rings?"

John's nephew, who had been seconds from drifting into sleep, jumped and rushed to John's side. John took the smaller band with still shaking hands and placed it on Liz's finger. Then, the boy extended his arms to Liz, and she took the remaining band and slid it onto John's finger.

"Before God and all of your family and friends, I am honored to pronounce you, John Phillip Stamos and Elizabeth Ann Morris, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

The congregation erupted into thunderous applause as John and Liz leaned in and kissed.

Naya clapped along, and Heather slipped an arm around her. She looked up at Heather, and Heather kissed her temple.

Liz and John hurried off down the isle, leaving the crowd behind to start their honeymoon.

\-----

John and Liz wanted to head to their honeymoon in Puerto Rico as soon as possible, so it had been decided that the reception would be held when they returned. The guests were beginning to leave so the crowd was thinning out considerably. Naya and Heather never left each other's side.

"So, what are your plans for college, Heather?" John's aunt (a very obvious, strict conservative) had stopped them to make small talk. Naya had had a hard time getting past her amazement that the woman didn't drown when it rained. If she held her nose any higher, Naya was sure she'd break her neck.

"Naya and I are going to USC," Heather said.

The woman turned to Naya briefly, judging her. "And what about your…living arrangements? I have a son just about your age, you know, I'm sure he'd be happy to host you while you were in school."

The insinuation only angered Naya further, and she pulled Heather closer and threw her arm around Heather's waist. The older woman pursed her lips and gave Naya another once over.

"Ah," Heather said slowly. "Thank you for the offer, Helen, but Naya and I are going to get a place together."

"Well, don't you think you're moving a little fast, dear? I mean, April and that lovely man she married didn't move in together until they were married…heterosexually, of course."

"Yeah, well I'm not April, so." Heather shrugged.

"How your mother allows this behavior into her home, I haven't the foggiest."

"I love Naya," Heather said simply. "And I don't need the approval of an old bat that I'll never see again in my life, so if you'll excuse us."

Before anything else could be said to piss her off, Naya pulled Heather away, getting them lost in the sea of people.

"This fucking sucks," she fumed, and Heather pulled her backwards to encircle her waist with her arms.

"They're from a different generation, Naya," she cooed. "They'll never understand what we have."

"I wanted to say something, but-"

"Shh," Heather hushed. "You didn't need to say a thing. Truthfully, I probably should have kept my mouth shut, but hey…I love you. And everyone should know it."

"You're too good to me, you know?"

Heather began to walk them towards their friends, who were hovering near the small refreshment table. "That'll never be possible," she said.

"Hey," Mark leered, and Naya punched him in the stomach.

"We were just talking about how you got caught by the homo police," Chris chimed in.

"Mm, we want to hear all about that," Dianna said and sipped her punch.

"Aunty Helen decided to try to not-so-subtly set up my girlfriend with her son," Naya fumed. She leaned over to Mark and whispered, "We're egging her house tonight."

Heather nudged Naya in the ribs. "Don’t let it get to you. I picked you, and I'll continue to do so."

"How come you're never that sweet?" Chris asked Mark. His smile gave way to the fact that he wasn't serious at all, but Mark's face turned scarlet anyway.

"Guys," Dianna said. "Do you realize that in less than a month, we'll all finally be out of this town?"

"Just like we always wanted," Heather said, and Naya kissed her shoulder.

"I propose a group hug," Lea exclaimed.

"If we did that, it would make it look like I like all of you," Mark said. "I don't want to give these people the wrong impression of the Sall-man."

"They got the wrong impression when they looked at you, gay-mo," Naya said.

Mark flipped her the bird, then said, "Ah, c'mere, homos." He held out his arms.

"Why is everything a gay joke suddenly?" Chris asked, but joined what was turning into a very large group hug.

"Homo police," Heather reminded him. She wrapped one arm around Naya and the other around Lea.

With their circle as tight as it could be, they all leaned their heads together and closed their eyes, each marveling at how well they all (including Dianna) fit together perfectly.

"Promise we'll all be friends?" Lea asked. "No matter what. Promise we'll all come back to each other."

"Promise."

They all pulled away, but kept their arms linked. "You know, nothing has to change," Chris said. "There are plenty of people who are friends over a long distance. And you know what? I think it'll be easier since we're in couples…there will only be three lines of communication."

"I just can't believe we're officially adults." Mark huffed. "That means we have to start acting like adults."

Everyone laughed at the ridiculousness of the statement. None of them had much luck with acting their age for extended periods of time, and they knew that going to college wouldn't change that.

Finally, after many stares from what was left of the wedding guests, the group broke apart. They said their goodbyes and the couples went their separate ways.

The sun was setting; Heather put her arm around Naya's bare shoulders, shielding her from the wind, and Naya wrapped both arms around Heather's waist.

"It's exciting," Naya said. "We're going to college and finally starting our lives together."

"I know." Heather pulled her keys from her clutch bag and unlocked Naya's door. And you know what? I'm glad I'm doing it with you."

"You are?" Heather nodded, and Naya stood on her tip toes to kiss her. "I'm glad you were my tutor."

"Can you believe we started like that?" Heather rubbed Naya's arms. "You hated me, I hated you. We danced, and boom…love."

"It was always love," Naya whispered. "We just needed a little…help. I never thought I'd say I'm grateful for dance." Naya opened her door and climbed in, then waited for Heather to get behind the wheel. "I expect my wedding dance when we get home. I can't wait two weeks."

Heather leaned over the console and kissed Naya deeply. "You can have whatever you want."

Naya smiled and kissed Heather one more time. "Let's go home."

_How did it come to this?_   
_I think about you all the time_   
_It's no excuse, but I wish that I'd never made you cry_


End file.
